Oct. 14, 2022
Welcome to PSS Cybersecurity Awareness Month! Large-scale cyberattacks make the news, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Cybercrime is on the rise, and most attacks happen from phishing emails.
Consider the following facts:
- AtlasVPN reported a surge in retail websites impersonating Amazon on one of the year’s busiest shopping days. In 90 days up to July 12, 2022, 1,633 fake sites were detected, with 897 spoof Amazon sites active on Prime Day.
- According to IBM, one in five companies that suffered a malicious data breach in 2021 was infiltrated due to lost or stolen credentials, while 17% were breached via a direct phishing attack.
This week's theme is 'Watch Out for Phishing'. We need to always remain vigilant to protect all of Purdue. Here are some actions to stay safe:
- Avoid clicking links or downloading attachments without verifying the mail's source and the sender very carefully.
- Check all links and attachments rigorously, and never click or open any that seem suspicious.
- Analyze any requests for personal or university information.
- Always be weary of any messages demanding that you take immediate action. Don't react instinctively and always verify the request's authenticity.
- Be very cautious of any unexpected messages, especially if the content seems suspicious or too good to be true, as they usually are.
In the time it took you to read this document, there were multiple cyberattacks across the globe. Make sure you stop, look, and think before you take any sort of action.
Lastly, we would like to leave you with some additional mobile device activities that will allow you to continue to build your wealth of information pertaining to Cybersecurity:
To learn more about the Cybersecurity Awareness Program, visit https://www.purdue.edu/securepurdue/Cybersecurity/index.php or email Nolyn Johnson at cyberaware@purdue.edu.
