Google Docs Phishing Messages Google Docs Hack Information On May 3rd, email messages began to arrive at people's inboxes that appeared to invite people to view a Google document.  Upon clicking on the blue icon for the invitation, the person would receive a message asking for permission to access the person's address book and email.  

If the person gave permission to access their address book and email, the malicious script would read the person's address book and send the phishing message to everyone in the address book. This is why the messages would have appeared to have come from someone you know.

If the person didn't give the hacker's script permission to access their address book, nothing would happen.

In some instances, a Google form would pop up asking for the person's name and log in credentials.  

Within a few hours of the attack being released, Google was working to block the hack and remove the hacker's access.  At this point, yesterday's hack has been mostly cleaned up.

Key points
  • The malware did not compromise anyone's username or password, unless a person entered their credentials into the Google form that popped up on the screen.
    • If anyone did enter their username and password into the hacker's Google form, please reset your password right away.  If you need assistance with resetting your password, please contact the DoIT Technology Support Center.
  • Google has cleaned up the permissions and blocked the blue icon from working.  The phishing messages now also show a warning that says, Be careful with this message. Similar messages were used to steal people's personal information. Unless you trust the sender, don't click links or reply with personal information. 
  • Please delete any copies of the phishing message that you may have in your inbox.  
Additional details about the malicious messages are available at:  

https://arstechnica.com/security/2017/05/google-docs-phish-worm-grabs-your-google-app-permissions-contacts/

Since this hacker was successful with this type of attack, we should all expect to see more of these types of messages.  The next attempts could appear to be related to Google again, or the hackers could switch to trying to hack Box.com or any other cloud services.  

As always, if you aren't expecting to receive a document from someone or something feels out of the ordinary, call the sender of the message and ask if they really sent it.  If they didn't send it to you, don't open it.  

Also, anytime something asks for permission to access your address book, docs, email, or any other information; think twice before giving permission.  That one click could cause a big mess.

Finally, if you have any questions or would like someone to validate something that doesn't seem right, please DoIT Security at security@umbc.edu.  We are happy to help determine if something is legitimate or a threat.  

Thank you,

Mark Cather
Chief Information Security Officer
Division of Information Technology / UMBC
]]> On May 3rd, email messages began to arrive at people's inboxes that appeared to invite people to view a Google document.  Upon clicking on the blue icon for the invitation, the person would... https://my3.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/67809/guest@my.umbc.edu/72ddd26604e19ffe98c330a344e78c0c/api/pixel Division of Information Technology (DoIT) https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/doit https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xsmall.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/original.JPG?1727453227 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xxlarge.png?1727453227 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xlarge.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/large.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/medium.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/small.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xsmall.png?1727453227 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xxsmall.png?1727453227 Division of Information Technology (DoIT) 10 0 false Thu, 04 May 2017 15:02:53 -0400 Thu, 04 May 2017 15:11:41 -0400 Spring Student Course Evaluations Available May 3 - May 16 Access your evaluations online through Blackboard or email
The student course evaluations for Spring 2017 are now available to complete online between May 3 - May 16. Please note, you will not be able to change your answers after you submit, or access the evaluations after the time window closes. 

Course evaluations are used to help improve, not only courses, but the quality of instruction at UMBC. The online survey includes both Likert scale responses and open-ended Direct Instructor Feedback Form (DIFF) questions. Instructors will only see aggregated responses to the survey questions. They will also see responses to open-ended questions but will not be able to connect those responses to individual students. You can see what the survey looks like here. 

In Fall 2016, UMBC made the move away from paper scantrons for student evaluations and toward an online system, allowing more opportunity to complete evaluations.

As a student, you can go to your evaluations anytime during the open window and even save your responses to come back to later. To access them through Blackboard, log into your Blackboard account and click the MyBlackboard tab. There you will find a section with the heading “Online Student Course Evaluations.”

Screenshot of Blackboard and where to find the student course evaluations link. 

Students will also receive an email from StudentCourseEvaluations@umbc.edu where they can access the evaluations with the link provided. You might notice a question mark next to the sender name. This happens when UMBC Gmail detects an email that was not sent by UMBC Gmail servers. In this case, the emails are being sent by eXplorance Blue, the online service used to administer the Student Course Evaluation program. The link in the email is safe to click with.

If you’re an instructor, you will also receive an email communication from StudentCourseEvaluations@umbc.edu with a link to a list of your courses. This link can be used for both monitoring response rates throughout the evaluation process, and reviewing survey results after final grades have been posted.

If you have any questions, you can check DoIT’s extensive FAQ collection here. Be sure to follow the Course Evaluations myUMBC group for important updates as well. 

Follow the DoIT myUMBC group for more news and updates.
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Box, an online file sharing system that allows you to access your files from multiple devices and collaborate with others, recently released an update to its web interface. Some of the new changes include a brand new sidebar for navigation, improved search, an improved tile view for files, along with a few other minor changes. 

New Sidebar
A new, persistent sidebar creates easier access to all your files. Now, the sidebar is always with you wherever you navigate to on Box so things like your ‘Favorites’ are just a click away. You can also now change your landing page to ‘Favorites’ rather than All Files allowing for greater customization as to which files appear when you first open Box. You can change your landing page by going into your account settings. Additionally, ‘Notifications’ have been renamed to ‘Messages’.

Screenshot of sidebar navigation in the new box experience. 

New Improved Search  
Previously advanced search options were only accessible after completing a simple keyword search. Now, search results can include content filters to narrow down results and can search by metadata.  

Screenshot shows the new Box experience search bar. Easily switch between your content filters or Metadata.

Other Changes
The new Box experience has a lot of smaller changes as well. Single clicking an item selects it, while double clicking an item or clicking the name opens it. You can now switch between list view or an enhanced thumbnail view for rich previews easier too. Box has also added several new keyboard shortcuts:

Use Ctrl + click to multi select items
Ctrl + C shortcut to copy selected items
Ctrl + X shortcut to cut selected items
Ctrl + V shortcut to paste selected items

3D and 360º images, as well as HD and 360º video can now be viewed in Box without the need of downloading the file. Options to “Invite Collaborators” and “Get [a] Shared Link” are now consolidated under the “Share this Folder” button. 

If you want to revert back to the old Box experience, you can do so by clicking on the question icon at the top of the page. At a later date, the new Box experience will be enabled for all users and you will be unable to revert back to the old interface. 

DoIT has extensive FAQs on Box here and you can visit the Box help forums here.

Follow the DoIT myUMBC group for more news and updates.
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Alliance is an annual, user-driven conference that brings together PeopleSoft technical and functional users from around the world for three days. DoIT’s own Todd Haddaway, Director of Database and Identity Management, and Stacy Long, Director of Enterprise Administration & Research Systems, presented UMBC’s Developer Toolbox in Las Vegas generating interest and requests from other universities for the source code to the toolbox so they can implement it at their institutions.

The Developer Toolbox for UMBC is a web-based program that allows developers, database administrators, and PeopleSoft administrators to monitor and control PeopleSoft. This allows developers allowing to self-service their problems with 5 unique tools all through one central interface.

Todd Haddaway at Alliance 2017

“It was great to see that there was interest”


Both Haddaway and Long described how the toolbox is used in their job roles, as well as how it has benefited not just developers, but them as well. Haddaway went into some of the details of the tools like where the data is pulled from, while Long went in-depth on how developers at UMBC are using it. 

Originally, the two were supposed to present in just a room meant for 100. They were upgraded to another room and had 200 people come watch their presentation. “It was great to see that there was interest,” said Haddaway. “[We got] a lot of questions about why we decided to build the toolbox.”

“We actually missed the next session answering questions [from attendees].” said Long. 

With so much interest, Haddaway has decided to open-source the toolbox to over 15 different universities that are requesting it, like Penn State, Cal State and the University of Massachusetts. By open-sourcing the toolbox, Haddaway hopes to help other institutions easily provide these services to their own community. 

“...gives us the opportunity to highlight some of the innovative solutions that we have developed at UMBC”


Overall, Alliance 2017 was a great experience for the two and provided a great networking opportunity as well. “Networking with my peers at that conference is always helpful and by presenting, I made even more connections than I have at previous events.” said Long. 

As for Alliance 2018, the two want to present again but on different topics. “Presenting at regional and national conferences gives us the opportunity to highlight some of the innovative solutions that we have developed at UMBC.” said Haddaway. “It also fosters conversation and collaboration with folks from other institutions.”

Follow the DoIT myUMBC group for more news and updates.
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Khalid Muqueeth, a senior in information systems, is a student worker at the Technology Support Center (TSC), which is the first stop in assisting the UMBC community with technology questions and requests. As he prepares for graduation, Muqueeth reflects on his past two years as a Senior Consultant at the TSC.

Growing up, Muqueeth had an affinity for technology. He always went after the tech classes in high school rather than the art ones. Muqueeth was also good with talking to people in general, so naturally the TSC was a good fit for him.

When he first started at the TSC, Muqueeth was thrown off as to what he would be doing. “I didn’t know what to expect,” Muqueeth said. “I thought I would be doing more hardware stuff.” Things like hardware support are one of the few things the TSC can’t do. Although he was good at answering phones, he made a small script of what to ask people to better assist them with their problems until he had it memorized by heart.

“One thing I always try to follow is, life is too short [you should] help someone else.”


He also recalls his first day as a jumpstart into working in IT support. On his very first shift, there were multiple calls coming in at once and a constant rush of people coming up to the front desk seeking tech support. 

It wasn’t a solo effort though, as Muqueeth would go on to learn. Even during the constant rush, there was always someone with him at the desk to help out when needed. “It’s a group effort more than a solo effort,” Muqueeth said. “Everybody who works there, we all have each others backs.”

When not at the TSC, Muqueeth spends part of his time volunteering. Ever since high school, he has actively volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and has gone on to join Helping Hand. “One thing I always try to follow is, life is too short [you should] help someone else.” said Muqueeth. 

He also finds time to volunteer at soup kitchens, while also playing an active role as an advisor to the Muslim Student Association (MSA) here at UMBC.

“....It’s like a little world in an office”


For the next wave of TSC student workers, Muqueeth has some key advice to pass down. First, practice makes perfect when you’re answering phone calls and it’s beneficial to recognize the tone of the person you’re talking to. The most important piece of advice? Don’t be afraid to fail, since you will learn a lot with assisting with different types of people. 

 “It’s a spontaneous job, no matter what you’ll be asking for help.” Muqueeth said. 

Looking at his past two years, Muqueeth never imagined staying on this long, but has felt good for the times he was able to help people and is thankful for it. He attributes it to two main things; his fellow students he has worked with and how fulfilling the work is when he helps someone. “Everyone is different and fun,” said Muqueeth. “It’s like a little world in an office.”

Like this story? Read about other TSC students like Lily Prokop who is also an Oboist or Saiful Islam, another senior consultant who works at the TSC.

Be sure to follow the DoIT myUMBC group for job listings at the TSC and additional news and features.
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After 24 years at UMBC, Betty Blanchette, Software Developer for DoIT, is retiring. Blanchette not only leaves behind a varied career, but a positive impact on UMBC and the many people she has worked with. 

“She takes on a task, she researches it deeply, she gets everything pulled together and makes it happen. You can always count on her to get the job done.” said Cheri Putro, Project Manager for DoIT. 

Putro and Blanchette were both part of IT when it was two separate departments, academic and administrative. As UMBC continued to grow and expand, their group of IT would frequently move from building to building, even ending up in the basement of the library at one point, where the HP mainframes were located. They both would joke about how they had to fight off the geese at the time just to get to where they were going. 

“She always maintained this wonderful sense of humor, and that's not always easy to do when you are under pressure.” said Putro, “I don’t think we could have made the conversion from HP to PeopleSoft without Betty, because [of] her institutional knowledge, we’re really going to miss that.”

Blanchette served as the Student Financials Technical Lead for the PeopleSoft SA implementation, where she was instrumental in ensuring UMBC’s students had accurate bills, 1098Ts, and overall provided a high level of support to Student Business Services (SBS). 

Over the last few years Blanchette branched out beyond Student Financials and served as the SA Security Expert along with lending her support and knowledge to support all areas of Enrollment Management while still supporting SBS.

Before coming to UMBC, Blanchette was working for a company in Glen Burnie as a programmer. Her husband had spotted a job ad in the paper that UMBC was looking for programmers. Knowing nothing about the campus at the time, Blanchette decided to apply and interviewed with Putro and Joe Kirby, Assistant VP of DoIT. “I had never stayed at a place for more than three years, due to the whole contracting mentality” Blanchette said. 

“Betty was instrumental in getting me through a lot of hurdles.”


Isabel Garrido, Assistant Director for SBS, remembers when she first came to UMBC and how Blanchette was very welcoming. “I came to this job after being away from the workforce so this was a real learning experience for me, and Betty was instrumental in getting me through a lot of hurdles.” said Garrido. 

One of those hurdles happened to be ‘the crossover’, something that was referred to frequently but was completely unknown to Garrido at the time. Garrido would later learn that ‘the crossover’ referred to a migration of user data from one database to another.

“I finally cracked one day and asked about the crossover and where the information crosses over to and Betty said to me, ‘Well it’s not something where the information is dead and is going [somewhere else].’ 

“Betty was a vault of information in resources.”


Jean Bunche, Director of Special Projects for SBS, was always impressed with not only Blanchette’s dedication, but her resourcefulness after absorbing additional responsibilities. Bunche would worry if Blanchette would have any time for her, but Blanchette would always find time to work with Bunche. 

“She never missed a beat,” said Bunche. “Betty is very responsive to your questions and if she doesn't know the answer, she will research it, she will dig, and she will get back to you. She doesn't just say ‘here's the answer’, she will help you learn.” 

Bunche has worked with Blanchette for many years both in bringing up PeopleSoft and working on the legacy system. Bunche would sit down and discuss with Betty how they did something in the legacy system and how should they do it now. 

“Betty was a vault of information in resources.” said Bunche.

Recalling some of the most memorable times she has experienced at UMBC, Blanchette reflected on all the community events and their importance. “I think it helps morale...the all staff meetings in IT help because you get to know other people. Keeping the community engaged is really important.” said Blanchette. 

“I’m going to miss some of the work but it’s the people I’m going to miss the most.”


As for what she is going to miss most about UMBC, Blanchette emphasized that her time at UMBC was fulfilling because of her programming work and the people she came across. “I like what I do, I’m going to miss some of the work but it’s the people I’m going to miss the most,” said Blanchette. “It made it easier to stay through hard times because of the people.”


Starting from the left is Betty Blanchette, Isabel Garrido, Jean Bunche, and Cheri Putro
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The Technology Support Center (TSC) is the first stop in assisting the UMBC community with technology questions and requests. The TSC is made possible thanks to its many student workers, who all have a unique background. Take Lily Prokop for instance, a sophomore majoring in Music Education & Music Performance.

Like many, Prokop applied to the TSC through UMBCworks. Prior to the TSC, she did not have any firsthand knowledge on IT support. “I’ve been working for the TSC for about a year,” said Prokop. “But when I first started, I had no idea what was going on. I was so nervous at answering phones.” 

Prokop was determined to change that. She had the drive to get over her nervousness by wanting to answer every phone call that came in. By doing so, she was able to get it down to a point where she didn't have to follow a script or go step-by-step on certain tasks. 

“I knew playing oboe would give me an advantage when applying to music schools…”


While not working at the TSC, Prokop enjoys playing music and can play six different instruments. Her favorite one, however, is the oboe. Before high school, she was a big fan of the clarinet but did not know about the oboe. After seeing someone in high school play an oboe, Prokop was inspired her to learn to play it. 

“I knew playing oboe would also give me an advantage when applying to music schools [and] college because there aren't many oboe players.” said Prokop.

Those advantages would become apparent. Prokop would be invited to perform as a guest at Carnegie Hall for the Chesapeake Youth Symphony Orchestra (CYSO) and plays wedding gigs in the summer. 

“It felt exhilarating to literally watch the sunset as we played…”


For Prokop, performing indoors is usually standard, with only a small handful of opportunities to play outside. That changed when Prokop performed at UMBC’s 50th anniversary with the rest of the UMBC orchestra outside. “I was so proud to represent UMBC,” said Prokop. “It felt exhilarating to literally watch the sunset as we played...playing in that setting to honor UMBC was really wonderful.” 

While being a full time student and musical performer, Prokop is also a proud member of Alpha Sigma Alpha, where she participates in fundraisers and other philanthropy efforts. Last semester, Prokop participated in Hula Hoop for Hope. During Hula Hoop for Hope, members all take turns hula hooping for 12 hours. She has also become their main line for tech support as well. “I end up answering people’s tech questions in our group chat.” said Prokop. 

Working at the TSC has been a great experience for Prokop, but it’s not a solo effort by any means. It’s a team effort that helps create a welcoming and productive work environment. “The people who work here are pretty cool,” said Prokop. “When customers are walking into the TSC, and there's an issue, I know someone I’m working with will know how to solve something.” 

“People are often surprised when they find out I’m a music major who works within DoIT…”


After the TSC, Prokop wants to become a music teacher in Baltimore City. When looking back at her time spent so far at the TSC, Prokop reflects on it being a positive learning experience.   

“People are often surprised when they find out I'm a music major who works within DoIT. The TSC has not only given me versatile work experience, but it has also given me confidence in my knowledge of general technology and customer service skills.” said Prokop.

Interested in working at the TSC? Follow the DoIT myUMBC group for job postings and additional news and updates. 

Like this story? Read about senior technology consultant Saiful Islam and his two years at the TSC.

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This crash took down service to both wired and wireless connectivity within all of the Residence Halls and Apartment Buildings. 

Networking staff were able to restore wired connectivity around 10:30pm and wireless connectivity around 11:30pm Monday evening to all residential facilities. 

We are looking into the failure of the battery back up unit that is designed to protect the equipment in the event of such outages and we will have it repaired once the campus re-opens after the storm. 

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me for additional information.

Thank You, 

Damian Doyle
Senior Director of Enterprise Infrastructure and Support
DoIT - UMBC
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The Computer Replacement Initiative (CRI) is a UMBC campus-wide initiative designed to replace faculty and staff laptops and desktops. For the 2017-2018 academic year, within Academic Affairs, the subsidy for a laptop is $1,000 and the subsidy for a desktop is $600. You can fill out the DoIT webform here.

Ordering of the new machines will occur in early June with installations planned for completion by early August. DoIT has an FAQ on the recommended configurations for desktops and laptops available here. 

Timeline for this year’s CRI:

* March 29, 2017: Deadline for submitting the CRI application via the DoIT web form
* April 10, 2017: Notification to chairs/directors of award recommendations from the committee
* April 14, 2017: Feedback from chairs/directors on the award recommendations
* April 19, 2017: Review by the deans of the awards list
* April 21, 2017: Awards are announced
* May 12, 2017: Deadline for awardees to make their computer options selection
* Early June: Computer order will be placed

For more information, there is a full detailed post on UMBC Insights found here. If you have any additional questions, please contact Vice Provost Moreira at x56576 or Executive Assistant, Susan Mocko at x56577.
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As part of our ongoing commitment to security, the Unix Infrastructure group will be conducting its quarterly system patching on Friday, March 17th from 5pm to 10pm.  While many systems will be patched without any service disruption, there are several systems which require the downtime of key services for short times during this window.  The schedule below outlines which key services will be offline and for how long.

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Tim Champ
Manager of Unix Infrastructure
UMBC DoIT
]]> As part of our ongoing commitment to security, the Unix Infrastructure group will be conducting its quarterly system patching on Friday, March 17th from 5pm to 10pm.  While many systems will be... https://my3.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/66351/guest@my.umbc.edu/74fa98474721cff5253458857f9db8b0/api/pixel Division of Information Technology (DoIT) https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/doit https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xsmall.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/original.JPG?1727453227 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xxlarge.png?1727453227 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xlarge.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/large.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/medium.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/small.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xsmall.png?1727453227 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xxsmall.png?1727453227 Division of Information Technology (DoIT) 0 0 true Thu, 09 Mar 2017 14:52:36 -0500