We’ve noticed a big increase in phishing attacks directed toward the Chatham community. Phishing is when you receive an email that seems to be from a trusted company or colleague, but turns out to be designed to extract personal information. There are a lot of articles out there with steps to avoid phishing, but we’re going to tell you what not to do.
DON’T click on links that you don’t trust. Always check for the secure lock on websites where you’re entering any sensitive information, like your credit card number or social security number. A secure website will always start with https:// in the address.
DON’T assume an unexpected email from a company is legitimate. A clever way that phishing emails operate is to disguise the email to look like a service, such as Dropbox or Netflix. The phishing email will trying to get you to download files or submit information. If you’re not sure, don’t click it! If it seems to be sent from someone you know, ask that person and get confirmation that they really did send you an email.
DON’T click on pop-ups. Pop-ups are often fraudulent, but made to look like the website you’re visiting. Some versions of this are very tricky and attempt to panic the user or impersonate tech support.
DON’T give out your personal information. It pays to be cautious at all times.
On the other hand…
DO inform the ITS department if you feel you’ve been a victim of phishing!
Information Technology Services
Chatham University
412-365-1112 | services@chatham.edu
For more information about phishing please read this article from Tripwire.
