Kansas State University

The Better Business Bureau is warning of increased phishing scams related to Amazon Prime Day, online, and brick-and-mortar stores with special sales during July. Phishing is a way cybercriminals try to trick you into sharing personal information, such as passwords, credit card numbers, social security numbers, or bank account numbers, by sending you fraudulent emails or directing you to a fake website.

In addition to the regular phishing scam attempts this month, cybercriminals are sending phishing emails urging people to “click on a link to confirm their order” or “click on a link to confirm their mailing address.” DO NOT click on those links. If you are concerned about an order, you can always sign in to your Amazon or other online accounts to check your order status. Remember, legitimate businesses will NEVER ask for your account, personal, or financial information by email. Continue reading “Increased phishing scams expected in July” →

Phishing is one of the most common forms of cyberattacks that we encounter. K-State handles compromised accounts on a daily basis. Universities are often targeted because of the vast amounts of data criminals could get access to. Building a strong cybersecurity culture is one of the best defenses we have.

As the next step in our required cybersecurity awareness training, we will perform phishing simulations and track performance. Again, it’s not our intention to shame anyone, but instead to use this data to ensure we’re targeting the correct user populations that may need additional training. We will be using the Attack Simulator that is available to us through our Microsoft 365 licensing. Continue reading “Cybersecurity Awareness: Phishing simulations to begin” →

Two weeks ago we had more compromised eIDs than in the period from January 1 – May 13. Last week proved to be equally lucrative for scammers.  Scammers attack when individuals are busy and vulnerable.

As these attacks continue to increase in frequency and sophistication, it is of critical importance that you:

• Think before you click – always be suspicious of any unsolicited communication.
• Don’t respond to that email if you are not absolutely certain of the sender and the contents.
• If you are not certain about an attachment, don’t open it.
• If you do respond to a scam, immediately change your password.

These simple guidelines could prevent scammers from using your credentials elsewhere and even save your identity. Personal information is like money. Value it. Protect it.

K-State is seeing a significant increase in the number of phishing scams within the last few days.  Phishing scams are used as a way to trick you into giving up your credentials (eID and password). Once you give up your credentials, the scammer has access to all your K-State accounts.

There have been 239 phishing scams — some duplicates — resulting in 43 compromised accounts since Mon., June 11. The compromised accounts are then used to send additional phishing scams.

K-State will never ask for your eID, password, etc. by email or in a survey. If you are uncertain about the legitimacy of an email, check the Phishing scams website.  When in doubt don’t respond, just delete.

Report phishing scams to abuse@ksu.edu and be sure to include the email headers in your message.

Contact the IT Help Desk 785-532-7722 if you have additional questions about phishing scams.