The University of Wyoming has fallen prey to a higher concentration of spam and virus e-mails in the past few months, according to the university's Office of Information Technology.
The most recent attack came in an email with an excel document attached, which got the attention of IT. The department warned that opening the attachment released a virus which infected the computer to send further spam emails.
Brett Williams Interim Director of Applications and Database Services at UW IT recommends always using caution when opening attachments, especially from external addresses.
"Attachments from unexpected emails should not be opened really, regardless of whether they're sent from on or off campus," said Williams. "If you're not expecting the email, it's probably best not to open that attachment."
Students or faculty who notice suspicious emails or who think their computer has been infected should report to the UW IT help-desk by calling (307) 766-4357.