|
Computing Services has installed virus detection software on the servers (mailhubs) that control e-mail to and from off-campus addresses. This software scans files attached to e-mail messages for possible viruses. It runs automatically on the servers without user interaction. It only examines the files attached to the e-mail; not the e-mail message itself.
If a file that is attached to an e-mail appears to contain a computer virus, that e-mail will not be delivered and will be deleted. Neither the sender nor the recipient of the message will be notified that the message has been deleted. This method is being used because spam mail is most often the vehicle by which viruses are spread. Spam mail uses forged or fake addresses, so notifying the sender (who really did not send the e-mail) and recipient (who would not want a spam message) typically only leads to further confusion.
If you are expecting an e-mail with an enclosure and it does not arrive, your department's IT support office can assist you in determining what happened to that e-mail message.
There are other reasons why a message with an enclosure might not be delivered. The types of enclosures that will be prevented from being sent or received include:
- Files that are known to contain computer viruses.
- Files with very long file names.
- Files with file extensions that indicate they will run an application on your computer, such as .exe, .pif, or .scr.
- Files with names that try to hide their real file extension with a double extension, for example filename.doc.scr .
- Files with lots of contiguous white space in the file name.
Since this virus detection software was installed, there have been some instances where enclosures that should have been delivered were stopped by the system. In these cases, the sender was able to resolve the problem by compressing the file into a different format, such as .zip or .sit and resending.
It is important to note that this does not mean you no longer need virus protection software on your computer. Computer viruses can attack your computer in any number of ways; examining e-mail enclosures is only one way we are trying to prevent viruses from spreading. In addition, e-mail messages sent between Dartmouth addresses (e.g., from one @dartmouth.edu account to another @dartmouth.edu account) are not scanned by this software.
If you have questions, contact the IT Service Desk (Help Desk) at 646-2999 and select from the options provided, send e-mail to help@dartmouth.edu, or contact your department's IT support office.
|
