PSM IT News Article for 4-22-2024

PSM IT NEWS FOR APRIL 22, 2024

XZ data compression utility Backdoor

XZ is a data compression utility library installed on many distributions of the Linux operating system.   In late March 2024, a backdoor was detected in certain versions of the utility that allow hackers unauthorized access to affected systems.     The affected versions are 5.6.0 and 5.6.1.  Linux users should take this issue very seriously and check to ensure that their installations are not affected by this and that their systems are updated against vulnerabilities on a regular basis.  Information on distributions affected and checking for affected version can be found in this article.

Tip of the week

All credit goes out to Paige Potter for this tip.   Infrequently, as an I.T. person I see individuals that send messages or reply back to all the members of a distribution list and their message contains details they didn’t want all of the members of the list to see.  Or sometimes a user will send messages that they wish they could correct.   Well Office 365 has that feature available in Outlook Application for windows (but not for Mac Computers or Outlook on the Web).  The way it works is after you have determined you want to recall a message you go to the sent folder and then double click the message you wish to recall or resend.   Then with the message open,  pick “file” from the pull-down, and select “info” tab and pick recall or resend button.    The recall message feature allows you to withdraw the message from MSU email users individual inboxes and other folders they have subsequently moved or copied the message to in outlook.  It also allows you to recall the original message and to resend the message to the correct recipients this time and / or to change the content of the same message.    The limitations to this recall is that it only allows users to recall messages sent to MSU users mailboxes and not those users whose messages are forwarded over to an external email system like gmail and messages already forwarded manually by the recipient can't be recalled.     

Users can send in any tech. tip worthwhile for publication.   PSM.ITSupport@msu.edu

Website Updates

Users are also reminded about how to request department website updates: 

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