Tuesday, August 13, 2013

How to Turn On or Off Cached Exchange Mode

How to Turn On or Off Cached Exchange Mode

Occasionally, you may find that the syncing of email and Global address book (GAL) on your cell phone or computer is not 'up to date' when viewed in Outlook. This is due to Outlook storing or 'caching' a copy of the address book and email on your computer.

To force a refresh, follow the instructions below:

1. Open Outlook and click on the [Files] tab











2. The Account Information screen opens. Click on the Account Settings icon and select [Account settings...] from the drop down menu



















3. The Email Accounts screen opens, select the appropriate account and then click on the Change button:

















4. The Server Settings screen is displayed. Under the sever name field there is a checkbox entitled Use Cached Exchange Mode. Uncheck this box to force address book and email synchronization with the server. Then click on Next button.















5. An alert message appears informing you that the change will not come into effect until you have restarted Outlook. Click OK to continue.






6. The Congratulations screen appears. To close the wizard click on the Finish button















7. You will return to the Email Accounts screen, Click Close to exit

8. Restart Outlook to complete the process. On restart you may find Outlook is slow to open up. This is due to the cache being switched off and is expected.

Claremont Graduate University | Office of Information Technology 
ACB 303 | 909-621-8174

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Recent Reports of DHS-Themed Ransomware



US Computer Emergency Readiness Team banner graphic
National Cyber Awareness System:
07/30/2013 10:57 AM EDT

Original release date: July 30, 2013
US-CERT has received reports of increased activity concerning an apparently DHS-themed ransomware malware infection occurring in the wild. Users who are being targeted by the ransomware receive a message claiming that use of their computer has been suspended and that the user must pay a fine to unblock it. One iteration of this malware also takes a webcam (if available) photo or video of a recipient and posts it in a pop-up to add to the appearance of legitimacy. The ransomware falsely claims to be from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Division.
Users who are infected with the malware should consult with a reputable security expert to assist in removing the malware, or perform a clean reinstallation of their OS after formatting their computer's hard drive.
US-CERT and DHS encourage users and administrators not to pay the perpetrators and to report the incident to the FBI at the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
Use caution when encountering these types of email messages and take the following preventive measures to protect themselves from phishing scams and malware campaigns that attempt to frighten and deceive a recipient for the purpose of illegal gain.
?         Do not click on or submit any information to webpages.
?         Do not follow unsolicited web links in email messages.
?         Use caution when opening email attachments. Refer to the Security Tip Using Caution with Email Attachments for more information on safely handling email attachments.
?         Maintain up-to-date antivirus software.
?         Users who are infected should change all passwords AFTER removing the malware from their system.
?         Refer to the Recognizing and Avoiding Email Scams (pdf) document for more information on avoiding email scams.
Refer to the Security Tip Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks for more information on social engineering attacks.