TAC Policies on Email Communication with Customers

From time to time malicious individuals circulate emails that claim to be sent from the administrator of a Shastalink service. Some of the emails direct the reader to download an executable file from a web site, while others include an executable file which contains a virus. Customers who receive such an email should delete it, and under no circumstances should they download or run the executable.

Some of the emails claim to be a security patch or information about your account, others are more generic. There are several clues that indicate that the emails are not a genuine communication from the administrator of a Shastalink service:

The email is not signed using the Network Operations Center or Technical Assistance Center's digital signature.

Both the Network Operations Center and the Technical Assistance Center always sign email messages before sending them to customers, and you can verify the signature using the key we publish at http://www.shastalink.com/tac/pgpkeys.asp. If you are ever in doubt about the authenticity of an email message you have received, consult the Technical Assistance Center's web site. The web site is the authorative source for information on all Shastalink services.

The email contains a file or "patch".

Authentic email messages never include a file or a link to a file or "patch"; instead, they refer the reader to the Technical Assistance Center web site which may provide a link to a file or program that can be downloaded. More information on the Technical Assistance Center's policy on software distribution can be found at http://www.shastalink.com/tac/swdist.asp.

The email was sent from a bogus address.

All email messages that are sent to customers regarding Shastalink services are sent from either the Network Operations Center (noc@shastacoe.org) or the Technical Assistance Center (tac@shastacoe.org) depending on the content of the message.

We urge all of our customers to always verify any email that claims to be from a Shastalink representative by using the criteria described above and by always checking the Shastalink web site for official information. Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the authenticity of a message you receive from the administrator of a Shastalink service please contact the Technical Assistance Center at 530 225-0279 to verify the information.