When criminals go phishing, you don’t have to take the bait.

See it, so you don’t click it.

Phishing is when criminals use emails to lure you into clicking on malicious content and handing over your personal information or installing malware on your device. It’s easy to avoid a scam email once you know what to look for.

Here are some quick tips on how to clearly spot a phishing email:

• Contains an offer that’s too good to be true
• Language that’s urgent, alarming, or threatening
• Poorly-crafted writing with misspellings and bad grammar
• Greetings that are ambiguous or very generic
• Requests to send personal information
• Urgency to click on an unfamiliar hyperlinks or attachment
• Sending e-mail address doesn’t match the company it’s coming from
  

Oh no! I see a phishing email. What do I do?

Don’t worry, you’ve already done the hard part which is recognizing that an email is fake and part of a criminal’s phishing expedition.

If you’re at the office and the email came to your work email address, report it to your IT manager or contact 6-TECH.

If you’re at home and the email came to your personal email address, do not click on any links (even the unsubscribe link) and don’t reply to it. JUST DELETE IT. You can take your protection a step further and block the sending address.

For example, you can block an email on Gmail.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month Wrap-up

Throughout October, Information Technology Services (ITS) has shared tips on four basic cybersecurity behaviors that you can practice to take control of your online life, whether at work, home, or school:

1. Use multi-factor authentication
2. Use strong passwords and a password manager
3. Update your software
4. Recognize and report phishing

See these posts on ITS Technology News’ Cyber Security Tips and social media (Twitter and Facebook) to learn more about how you can stay safe online.

One of the easiest ways to keep your information secure is to keep your software and apps updated.

Update often.

Software updates provide security patches to keep your applications and data secure.

Always keeping your software updated is an easy way to stay a step ahead of cybercriminals.

Get it from the source.

When downloading a software update, only get it from the company that created it. Unlicensed versions often contain malware and can cause more problems than they solve.

Make it automatic.

Software from legitimate companies usually provides an option to update your software automatically. When there’s an update available, it gives a reminder so you can easily start the process. If you can’t automatically update it, remind yourself to check quarterly if an update is available.

Watch for fakes!

Maybe you’ve seen these pop-up windows when visiting a website or opening software that urgently asks you to download something or fill out a form? These are always fake and should not be followed. (A legitimate browser message will not ask you to download anything – only warn you not to move forward or stay on a specific web address because it might not be secured or it could contain malware.)

Look for our posts throughout October on ITS Technology News’ Cyber Security Tips and social media (Twitter and Facebook) to learn about more ways you can stay safe online.