June is Internet Safety Month, so all the tips this month will have the theme of Internet Safety. This week’s tip is about Spam and Phishing. Wait-isn’t that about emails?
While you would normally associate those attacks by receiving emails, they can come from other sources such as social media and other communications. And they most likely want you to access the internet to gain your information.
Here are some tips on how to avoid being a victim:
- Don’t reveal personal or financial information in an email, and do not respond to email solicitations for this information. This includes following links sent in email.
- Before sending or entering sensitive information online, check the security of the website.
- Pay attention to the website’s URL. Malicious websites may look identical to a legitimate site, but the URL may use a variation in spelling or a different domain (e.g., .com versus .net).
- If you are unsure whether an email request is legitimate, forward the email to abuse@uthsc.edu. We can check it out, and if it is a malicious email, we can block the website so other campus members cannot click on the link.
- Keep a clean machine. Keep all software on internet-connected devices – including PCs, smartphones and tablets – up to date to reduce risk of infection from malware.
The National Cyber Security Alliance has a complete article about Spam and Phishing that can be found here.
Stay safe in the world wide web!