Cyber Security Monday: Gone Phishing?

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, and the threat you need to be most aware of is phishing. Phishing is an attempt by criminals to get personal information from you through fake emails. They hope that you’ll “take the bait,” and give them credit card numbers, SSN’s, and bank account information. These emails look a lot like the one below, which is attempting to get your email account information from you:

“From: Kathleen Dettmer-Skelly [mailto:Skelly@bvu.edu]

> Sent: Wednesday, October 02, 2013 6:35 AM

> Subject:

> Your mail box has reached its maximum limit of 10 GB storage we are currently upgrading to 20.5GB of storage to upgrade your account now, click this link.

It’s important that you identify these as fake emails as soon as you see them. Why would someone from “bvu.edu” (Buena Vista University) be contacting you? When would you ever have to upgrade your account to clear up email space? Further, the grammar and spelling are usually poor, and legitimate emails from the College are always signed by the faculty or staff member.

Remember, these messages are designed to trick you into giving the criminal your personal information. If you receive a suspicious email, please report it to mailcop@etown.edu.  Never respond to them, and always practice safe computing.