IT Security Alert – Beware of Phishing Email Attacks

Recently at another CSU campus, an imposter posing as a campus construction vendor compromised their campus’s payment process. The fraudster deceived the campus into transferring money into a bank account under the fraudster’s control.

Phishing emails are the most common tactic hackers use to steal identity, infect computers with ransomware, gain sensitive information such as banking data or other fraudulent activities. If you receive a suspicious phishing email, click on the Report Phish button in Outlook. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact the IT Help Desk IMMEDIATELY!

Here are a few tips to help you spot phishing attempts and keep your data secure:

• To help identify potential phishing and improve security, emails received from outside our campus email system will have a cautionary message and “[EXTERNAL]” in the subject line
• Please check the sender's email address.  Fullerton employee emails are always [username]@FULLERTON.EDU, not GMAIL.COM, OUTLOOK.COM, or any other domain name
• Do not respond to any email from anyone asking for money or gift cards. Pick up the phone and call the sender to confirm the authenticity
• Do not provide sensitive personal information such as usernames and passwords
• Do not forward any suspicious emails to other users

 

IMPORTANT: If you have a Windows computer (campus-issued or personal) at home, please update your computer by following the instructions on how to check for Windows updates guide.

 For security best practices, please visit the Information Security Office website.