University Wire
05-01-2006
(The Lantern) (U-WIRE) COLUMBUS, Ohio -- An April 28 Lantern article examined a recent e-mail that has been sent to many students claiming to be from Chase Bank.
The e-mail tells recipients that their Chase accounts were recently compromised. If recipients follow the instructions, they will be prompted to give to the "phishers" their bank-account and credit-card information. This information does not go to the bank, it goes to people who want to use the information illegally for their own financial gain.
"Phishing," or sending out e-mails, instant messages and other forms of false electronic communication in hopes of luring personal information from unsuspecting consumers, is not a recent phenomenon on the Internet.
This attempt, however, seems to be unique in that it is apparently aimed at Ohio State students and uses the takeover of Bank One by Chase - popular banks among students on campuses around the country - as bait to make the e-mail appear legitimate.
The Office of Information Technology said in the article that OSU is not selling students' information to companies that will send spam and junk mail. This page does not see any reason not to believe that statement, because it would be foolish for OSU to sell out its students for a few dollars. Certainly the windfall of problems that would come from the sale would outweigh any monetary benefits.
This page believes that it is the duty of students to make themselves aware of the dangers that lurk on the Internet. OSU is trying to make that easier, as OIT is slated to have an Internet safety course available autumn quarter.
Because OSU's e-mail naming system is so simple, with the last name, a number and @osu.edu comprising all e-mail addresses, it is easy for spammers and phishers to attack students without collecting any lists of names, and can simply assume what e-mail addresses will work. Therefore, spamming and phishing are always going to be a problem on campus, and it does not seem likely that OSU will ever be able to filter out all dangerous e-mails.
It falls on the responsibility of students to be aware that their bank, credit-card company or any other institution that they are financially involved with is not going to contact them to ask for bank-account or credit-card information, or for a password.
If students do receive such an e-mail, which often look legitimate, they should either go to the Web site of the company manually or contact them by another method to check the validity of the e-mail. It only takes a few minutes to double-check with your bank the validity of an e-mail or electronic communication.
As this page has focused on and written about many times during the past few quarters, student safety is an issue that needs to be addressed on and around campus. Walking around campus, however, is not the only situation in which students could encounter an unsafe situation.
Cyberspace is also a dangerous place, and if students do not remain vigilant and informed, exploring the Internet can lead to theft of money and identity.
This page believes OSU is doing a decent job of making students safe, but also believes there is the potential to do more.
We are not making any demands, but we believe this is an issue that the Undergraduate Student Government and OSU administrators should take a look at to decide if more can be done to protect students.
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