Frequently Asked Question, Abuse, U.Va.

Mailing Address:

PO Box 400217
Charlottesville, VA
22904-4217 USA

Physical Address:

108 Cresap Road
Charlottesville, VA 22903

434-924-4165
434-924-3579
Email Us
See Map

Frequently Asked Questions

The following is a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) concerning abuse complaints and the way these incidents are processed. If after reading it you still have a question, send it to abuse@virginia.edu

Who responds to these complaints?
What process is used to evaluate an abuse complaint?
What happens after a report is received by the abuse team?
How do I stop "get-rich-quick" schemes and other unsolicited email messages?
Does the University censor individuals' web pages?
Is it possible to catch a computer virus just by reading an email message?
Why didn't the Abuse Team do something about the offensive email I reported?
Are abuse complaints reported to the Honor Committee or the Judiciary Committee?

Who responds to these complaints?

The University has a team which responds to reports and complaints about abuse. This group investigates the problems reported and takes appropriate action to protect the members of the community and the University's resources. Members of this team include staff from many different areas within ITC, as well as the University's email postmaster,the University's newsmaster,the University's Data Security Officer and staff from the Division of Student Affairs. Officers from the University Police,the University's General Counsel's Office,Human Resources or the Provost's Office may also be involved in a response, depending on the situation.The University's Lead Email Postmaster acts as the "voice" of abuse in most response situations.

With the explosive growth of the Internet and as information technology becomes a more important part of our lives, these sorts of problems occur more frequently. By being a responsible user of these resources, you can help prevent these problems and minimize the chances that you'll be the victim of abuse.

What process is used to evaluate an abuse complaint?

Abuse complaints are typically submitted directly to the Abuse Team or referred to the Abuse Team through another University office via electronic mail to the address abuse@virginia.edu.

The first step taken is to identify what resources (i.e., the University's network, an individual's PC/server, accounts, etc.) are involved and whether or not there is a potential violation of any University policy or local, state or federal statute.The Abuse Team responds immediately to protect the health and safety of community members, to ensure the security of the University's information technology resources and to preserve evidence if there is suspicion that a crime has been committed. Otherwise, each complaint is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

What happens after a report is received by the abuse team?

After a report has been received and needed resources have been identified and notified of the incident, the abuse team has little further to do with the report, unless we are asked to assist with the incident investigation or the incident is one where the security of the network and other computing devices here at the University is at risk. In these situations, the abuse team attempts to locate a responsible party (individual/departmental contact) for the device causing the problem, and to notify someone of the difficulty. We try to provide sufficient information so that the recipient of the message can determine which device is being reported, and each report contains language similar to:

If you are the correct contact for the device and it has not yet been fixed, please:
locate the device,
disconnect it from the U.Va. network
fix it, and let abuse@Virginia.edu know when the process is complete. Failure to do the above will cause us to disable the ability of this device to connect to the Internet beyond U.Va. during the second business day after the sending date of this notice. Should we receive additional reports that the device is continuing to be problematic, we may need to prevent the computer from accessing the Internet beyondU.Va much sooner or put a block on the computer so that it cannot access the U.Va. network.

If no response is received within the indicated timeframe, steps are taken to prevent the device from continuing to cause problems. The above process will, on occasion, vary depending on the ability to locate a contact for a problematic device and the nature of the problem that it is causing. More serious problems may be responded to with telephone calls or even an immediate block with no notification if a contact for the device cannot be identified.

New reports for a device received within a short period of time after a device has been reported fixed to abuse@Virginia.edu are cause for an immediate block with no warning.

How do I stop "get-rich-quick" schemes and other unsolicited email messages?

Many colleges and universities are experiencing a growing problem with this kind of email. It is disturbing to most members of our community; unfortunately, there are very few effective alternatives in these situations.

Many of these messages are now originating from sites that forge mail headers to disguise the true source of the unwanted message. Some of the forged headers implicate sites that have strong responsible computing orientations and have nothing to do with the delivery of the message to you.

Contacting the sending site sometimes results in your receiving more messages of this type. We are sorry that we cannot offer a better way to handle receipt of these types of messages, but at the present time, deleting them seems to be the most effective way to process them. Be assured that the University recognizes that this issue is a big issue and we are continually looking for ways to address it.

Should either the nature of the message content or the volume of mail you are receiving be problematic for you,please feel free to contact the abuse team at the address abuse@virginia.edu so that we can look into your specific situation. It will be helpful to us if you can include the message text and the full headers of one of the messages that is causing your concern.

Does the University censor individuals' web pages?

No -- The University does not censor individuals' web pages. This community is committed to the Jeffersonian ideals of intellectual inquiry and responsible free speech. Within this context, the University enforces all applicable state and federal legislation and expects members of this community to act responsibly with technology resources. Violations of applicable laws are not permitted and may result in disciplinary action; including, the loss of access to University technology resources.

Is it possible to catch a computer virus just by reading an email message?

Not exactly... You cannot catch a computer virus just by reading an email message. However, you might receive an email message with an attachment, and the attachment could be infected with a computer virus. When you double-click on an attachment to a message, reading email has suddenly turned in to also executing a program. In an effort to make mail easier to use, some manufacturers have started to automatically execute attachments, or to support things like Java embedded in mail. If you open the attachment without checking it first with virus protection software, you could infect your computer with the virus.

Why didn't the Abuse Team do something about the offensive email I reported?

The Abuse Team intervenes when there has been a violation of University technology policies and/or statutes. One of the guiding principles of our community is that individuals are responsible for their actions, including their behavior in cyberspace. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to determine when a violation of University policies has occurred. For example, sending someone a rude or offensive message does not automatically constitute an abuse of University technology resources or statutes. However, if an individual emails an offensive message to someone and forges this message to make it appear as though someone else wrote it, this action would be considered misuse of University resources and the Abuse Team would intervene. It is a difficult distinction to make sometimes, but some communications while obnoxious or hurtful do not necessarily constitute an abuse situation. In situations where the complaint is not a technology abuse issue, members of the Abuse Team advise affected individuals about other courses of action available to them.

Are abuse complaints reported to the Honor Committee or the Judiciary Committee?

If the Abuse Team investigates a complaint and determines that a student is responsible for a violation of University policies, this information is forwarded to either the Honor Committee or the Judiciary Committee. Other times, a student may receive a warning and instructed to discontinue the problematic behavior. The Abuse Team strongly supports student self-governance and an educational student discipline philosophy.




Report A Problem Information About Spam Email Request Information Ways To Prevent Abuse Frequently Asked Questions Home Mailing Address: PO Box 400217 Charlottesville, VA 22904-4217 USA Physical Address: 108 Cresap Road Charlottesville, VA 22903 434-924-4165 434-924-3579 Email Us See Map		Frequently Asked Questions The following is a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) concerning abuse complaints and the way these incidents are processed. If after reading it you still have a question, send it to abuse@virginia.edu Who responds to these complaints? What process is used to evaluate an abuse complaint? What happens after a report is received by the abuse team? How do I stop "get-rich-quick" schemes and other unsolicited email messages? Does the University censor individuals' web pages? Is it possible to catch a computer virus just by reading an email message? Why didn't the Abuse Team do something about the offensive email I reported? Are abuse complaints reported to the Honor Committee or the Judiciary Committee? Who responds to these complaints? The University has a team which responds to reports and complaints about abuse. This group investigates the problems reported and takes appropriate action to protect the members of the community and the University's resources. Members of this team include staff from many different areas within ITC, as well as the University's email postmaster,the University's newsmaster,the University's Data Security Officer and staff from the Division of Student Affairs. Officers from the University Police,the University's General Counsel's Office,Human Resources or the Provost's Office may also be involved in a response, depending on the situation.The University's Lead Email Postmaster acts as the "voice" of abuse in most response situations. With the explosive growth of the Internet and as information technology becomes a more important part of our lives, these sorts of problems occur more frequently. By being a responsible user of these resources, you can help prevent these problems and minimize the chances that you'll be the victim of abuse. What process is used to evaluate an abuse complaint? Abuse complaints are typically submitted directly to the Abuse Team or referred to the Abuse Team through another University office via electronic mail to the address abuse@virginia.edu. The first step taken is to identify what resources (i.e., the University's network, an individual's PC/server, accounts, etc.) are involved and whether or not there is a potential violation of any University policy or local, state or federal statute.The Abuse Team responds immediately to protect the health and safety of community members, to ensure the security of the University's information technology resources and to preserve evidence if there is suspicion that a crime has been committed. Otherwise, each complaint is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. What happens after a report is received by the abuse team? After a report has been received and needed resources have been identified and notified of the incident, the abuse team has little further to do with the report, unless we are asked to assist with the incident investigation or the incident is one where the security of the network and other computing devices here at the University is at risk. In these situations, the abuse team attempts to locate a responsible party (individual/departmental contact) for the device causing the problem, and to notify someone of the difficulty. We try to provide sufficient information so that the recipient of the message can determine which device is being reported, and each report contains language similar to: If you are the correct contact for the device and it has not yet been fixed, please: locate the device, disconnect it from the U.Va. network fix it, and let abuse@Virginia.edu know when the process is complete. Failure to do the above will cause us to disable the ability of this device to connect to the Internet beyond U.Va. during the second business day after the sending date of this notice. Should we receive additional reports that the device is continuing to be problematic, we may need to prevent the computer from accessing the Internet beyondU.Va much sooner or put a block on the computer so that it cannot access the U.Va. network. If no response is received within the indicated timeframe, steps are taken to prevent the device from continuing to cause problems. The above process will, on occasion, vary depending on the ability to locate a contact for a problematic device and the nature of the problem that it is causing. More serious problems may be responded to with telephone calls or even an immediate block with no notification if a contact for the device cannot be identified. New reports for a device received within a short period of time after a device has been reported fixed to abuse@Virginia.edu are cause for an immediate block with no warning. How do I stop "get-rich-quick" schemes and other unsolicited email messages? Many colleges and universities are experiencing a growing problem with this kind of email. It is disturbing to most members of our community; unfortunately, there are very few effective alternatives in these situations. Many of these messages are now originating from sites that forge mail headers to disguise the true source of the unwanted message. Some of the forged headers implicate sites that have strong responsible computing orientations and have nothing to do with the delivery of the message to you. Contacting the sending site sometimes results in your receiving more messages of this type. We are sorry that we cannot offer a better way to handle receipt of these types of messages, but at the present time, deleting them seems to be the most effective way to process them. Be assured that the University recognizes that this issue is a big issue and we are continually looking for ways to address it. Should either the nature of the message content or the volume of mail you are receiving be problematic for you,please feel free to contact the abuse team at the address abuse@virginia.edu so that we can look into your specific situation. It will be helpful to us if you can include the message text and the full headers of one of the messages that is causing your concern. Does the University censor individuals' web pages? No -- The University does not censor individuals' web pages. This community is committed to the Jeffersonian ideals of intellectual inquiry and responsible free speech. Within this context, the University enforces all applicable state and federal legislation and expects members of this community to act responsibly with technology resources. Violations of applicable laws are not permitted and may result in disciplinary action; including, the loss of access to University technology resources. Is it possible to catch a computer virus just by reading an email message? Not exactly... You cannot catch a computer virus just by reading an email message. However, you might receive an email message with an attachment, and the attachment could be infected with a computer virus. When you double-click on an attachment to a message, reading email has suddenly turned in to also executing a program. In an effort to make mail easier to use, some manufacturers have started to automatically execute attachments, or to support things like Java embedded in mail. If you open the attachment without checking it first with virus protection software, you could infect your computer with the virus. Why didn't the Abuse Team do something about the offensive email I reported? The Abuse Team intervenes when there has been a violation of University technology policies and/or statutes. One of the guiding principles of our community is that individuals are responsible for their actions, including their behavior in cyberspace. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to determine when a violation of University policies has occurred. For example, sending someone a rude or offensive message does not automatically constitute an abuse of University technology resources or statutes. However, if an individual emails an offensive message to someone and forges this message to make it appear as though someone else wrote it, this action would be considered misuse of University resources and the Abuse Team would intervene. It is a difficult distinction to make sometimes, but some communications while obnoxious or hurtful do not necessarily constitute an abuse situation. In situations where the complaint is not a technology abuse issue, members of the Abuse Team advise affected individuals about other courses of action available to them. Are abuse complaints reported to the Honor Committee or the Judiciary Committee? If the Abuse Team investigates a complaint and determines that a student is responsible for a violation of University policies, this information is forwarded to either the Honor Committee or the Judiciary Committee. Other times, a student may receive a warning and instructed to discontinue the problematic behavior. The Abuse Team strongly supports student self-governance and an educational student discipline philosophy.