- Keep your antivirus and operating system up to date.
- Contact us if you receive a phishing e-mail. If you are not sure if an e-mail is legitimate, forward it to us and we will assist.
- Set a strong password (uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and/or special characters make a password stronger).
- Always do your best to protect your identity and all Personal Identifiable Information (PII).
- Use anti-virus software to protect your computer from viruses and other harmful programs (known as malware).
- Use pop-up blockers in your Web browser to help protect yourself from spyware (be sure to allow pop-ups from Â鶹ŮÀÉ Web pages since MyÂ鶹ŮÀÉ and Canvas use them).
- Safe spyware software that you may want to use at no charge are:
- Never give out personal information (Social Security number, birthday, driver's license number, any account number or password, etc.) to anyone who asks for it online, especially via e-mail. It is very easy for people to send an e-mail that appears to be from Â鶹ŮÀÉ OIT staff, a bank or other institution as a means of obtaining sensitive information. This kind of activity is called phishing.
- Do not click on links or any attachments in any suspicious e-mail.
- Never put your personal information, even your birthday, on any online site, such as Facebook or Twitter.
- Never make your password the word "password" or any other easily guessed words. These are the first keywords that a hacker will attempt to use.
- Never give your passwords to anyone or allow someone to log in to your account. You could be held accountable if someone else's malicious activity is linked to you.
- Never write your password and leave it in a place where someone will find it (such as taped to the bottom of your keyboard, computer, or monitor).
Mobile Device Safety
Did you know that Internet usage on mobile devices has surpassed the usage on desktops? It's true, and now it is more important than ever to take precautions against threats on our mobile phones and tablets. Here are a few things you can do to better protect yourself while using your portable devices:
- Set up a passcode/password on the device (touch authentication and/or two-factor should be set up as an added layer of security)
- Make sure you keep up with software updates within your settings and keep up with application updates within your app store.
- Not all apps in the Apple App Store/Google Play Store are safe. Check reviews and do your research to verify the legitimacy of an application.
- Delete applications that you no longer use. Old applications could provide a backdoor to your device.
- Do not access sensitive information such as banking details and emails on public WiFi hotspots.
- Disable WiFi, Bluetooth, and location services when not in use.
Phishing E-mails
Phishing is the act of disguising as a trustworthy entity (such as an administrative figure from a school, financial institution, etc.) to gather information that could be used to compromise one's identity, school credentials, and/or banking information. One of the most common phishing processes is through e-mail.
You may receive e-mails from Â鶹ŮÀÉ and other credible institutions on a daily basis, but you should always question every e-mail's legitimacy before clicking on any links or attachments. It is best practice to delete an unsolicited e-mail if you are unsure of its validity.
If the e-mail is especially concerning and you need to know if it is an attempted phishing attempt, you can forward the e-mail in question to both help@eng.fau.eduÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýsecurity@fau.edu, and we will assist you in making this decision. In the event that you accidentally click on any links or attachments in a phishing e-mail, it is best to, at the very least, change your Â鶹ŮÀÉ password (as well as any other sensitive accounts that use this same password).
Outlook - Report Phishing and Junk Emails
Phishing scams aim to deceive individuals into sharing personal information, clicking harmful links, or even sending money. Below are some common types of phishing attacks to watch out for:
- Account Deactivation Claims: Scammers may falsely claim your account will be disabled unless you click a link. Â鶹ŮÀÉ, and most legitimate organizations, never send such emails.
- Unread Message Alerts: Fraudulent emails may claim you have unread messages and include a link to view them. Avoid clicking these links.
- Hacked Account Threats: Scammers might claim your account has been hacked and demand cryptocurrency to prevent the release of sensitive information.
- Free Musical Instruments: Some phishing emails may offer free instruments but ask for fake delivery fees.
- Fake Job Offers: Phishing emails may advertise job opportunities, falsely claiming to be from Â鶹ŮÀÉ’s Career Center or other departments.
- Fake Charity or NGO Jobs: Fraudulent job listings may appear to be for charitable work, but they are designed to scam you.
- Work-from-Home Scams: These scams often involve cashing fraudulent checks or receiving stolen goods.
- Fake Bills or Confirmations: Scammers may send emails posing as bills or order confirmations from services like Amazon, Geek Squad, McAfee, Norton, or airlines.
To help protect users from phishing scams and spam, Microsoft Outlook provides two important features: Report PhishingÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýReport Junk.
Report Phishing
When you use the "Report Phishing" feature:
- The suspicious email is flagged and reported to Microsoft’s security team.
- The email is moved to the Junk folder, protecting you from accidental engagement with harmful links or attachments.
- This action helps to alert Microsoft about potential threats, which enhances security across the platform for all users.
Report Junk
The "Report Junk" feature allows you to flag unsolicited, irrelevant, or annoying emails (commonly known as spam) that clutter your inbox. When you mark an email as junk:
- The email is automatically moved to your Junk Email folder.
- Microsoft’s security system analyzes the message to improve its spam filters, reducing the likelihood of similar emails reaching your inbox in the future.
- This helps to clean up your inbox and improve your email experience by filtering out low-priority messages.
If you are particularly concerned about an email and want to verify whether it is a phishing attempt, you can forward the email to both help@eng.fau.edu and security@fau.edu for further investigation.