I think that the primary problem here is not the state-mail site, although
that clearly has its problems, but the fact that the State News ran an
article that appears to indicate that state-mail is sanctioned by MSU - i.e.
"its an MSU e-mail system". This gives the inappropriate impression that
the system has been vetted by MSU staff and that ids and passwords entered
there are adequately protected. I think that the administration will need
to develop and communicate a clear position with respect to both state-mail
and its possibly deceptive propagation by the State News.
-----Original Message-----
From: John Resotko [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2007 9:42 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MSUNAG] Student developed front end to mail.msu.edu
In case you didn't see the article in the State News this morning, you
may want to check out:
https://state-mail.com
and
http://www.state-mail.com/about.php
which is apparently a student-constructed front end replacement for the
current official web interface. The site is apparently using some kind
of cookie to store an encrypted copy of your MSU NetID and password
locally, in order to pass that info on to an applet which keeps you
connected to your mail and your AFS space. There is no information on
whether this is a sanctioned student project, or just a hobbiest
project, so use with caution. I'd be curious to hear comments from the
faculty/staff perspective, since many of the interface improvements are
geared toward student use.
John A. Resotko
Head of Systems Administration
Michigan State University College of Law
208 Law College Building
East Lansing, MI 48824-1300
email: [log in to unmask]
Phone: 517-432-6836
Fax: 517-432-6861
Current Chairperson of the
MSU Network Communications Committee
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