IT Tech Tip of the Week: Phishing

From the IT Group:

It’s the start of a new year and the beginning of a new semester. It is an exciting time filled with anticipation, but it is important to remember the lessons we learned last year. While our wish for everyone may be a happy new year, there are those in the cyber world who would like to make that difficult for us.

This is an actual message many on campus received last year. Is this email phishing or is it real?

We would like to inform you that we are currently carrying out scheduled maintenance and upgrade of our account service and as a result of this your accounts have to be upgraded.
We are sorry for any inconvenience caused.
To maintain your account, you must reply to this email immediately and enter information below:

NetID:……..
Password:…….

Failure to do this within 48 hours will immediately render your account deactivated from our database.

Thank you for using our Services!

“WEBMAIL SUPPORT TEAM”.
© WEBMAIL ACCOUNT ABN 31 088 377 860 All Rights Reserved.
E-Mail Account Maintenance.

This email is phishing. You can tell because Keene State College and the IT Group would never ask you to verify any account information through e-mail or any other electronic source. We already have that information. Also, this message does not use the standard template you always see from the IT Group when we communicate to campus. Our template always:

• addresses the GAL, not individuals and it always comes from the IT Group HelpDesk.
• identifies ourselves as the IT Group at the beginning of the message.
• tells you the reason behind our communication (routine maintenance, infrastructure upgrade, etc.).
• provides our contact information (including phone number, e-mail address, and building location), in case you have any questions or concerns.

However, most importantly, legitimate institutions, including the IT Group, will not ask for personal information through e-mail. There are never any exceptions to this.

We hope this information will help you better understand phishing when you receive a suspicious email. However, whenever you are in doubt, do not hesitate to contact the HelpDesk at358-2532, e-mail helpdesk@keene.edu, or stop by our office on the second floor of Elliot Hall. We will be glad to help.