Universities are prime phishing targets due to their valuable data (student records, research, finances) and diverse, sometimes vulnerable, student population, leading to significant security risks and academic disruption.
Campus phishing targets include:
- Spear Phishing: Personalized attacks on specific individuals.
- Fake IT Support: Impersonating tech support to steal credentials.
- Financial Aid Scams: Exploiting student funding anxieties.
- Research Data Theft: Targeting valuable intellectual property.
- Credential Harvesting: Stealing logins for system access.
- Smishing/Vishing: Phishing via text or phone calls.
The Impact of Phishing attacks on campus include:
- Financial losses: Stolen funds and ransomware costs.
- Identity theft: Damaged credit and reputation.
- Data breaches: Compromised student and faculty data.
- Academic disruption: Interrupted online learning and research.
- Reputational harm: Reduced student and faculty attraction.
Students – Protect Yourself from Phishing scams by:
- Spotting Red Flags: Urgent threats, suspicious senders, generic greetings, typos, risky links/attachments, requests for personal info.
- Verifying: Don’t trust, verify with official sources, contact IT.
- Strengthening Defenses:Strong passwords, MFA, software updates, cautious public Wi-Fi use, antivirus, data backups.
- Staying Informed: Attend training, follow security news, report suspicious activity.
- Recognizing all forms: Be aware of smishing, vishing, and social media phishing.
- Be Vigilant: Staying informed is your best defense.
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