coe-staff: Phishing Email Going Around

[Ken Loge]

Some COE users have received unusual emails today (8-28-2018) that include a large green button that says “Click here to open this message”. Please ignore and delete any messages with that, or similar content. Emails like this contain malicious links designed to steal user information and use your UO email address to compromise other accounts.

If you think you have received or been affected by malware please contact coeit at uoregon.edu<mailto:coeit at uoregon.edu>. You can also copy: security at uoregon.edu<mailto:security at uoregon.edu>.

Here are a few quick points to help recognize phishing emails:

  *   Check the name and email address of the sender: Often the identity thief uses an email that has nothing to do with the company, unit or group that oversees account management. Please note that some targeted phishing attempts, called Spear Phishing, are directed at specific individuals or companies. Attackers often gather personal or organizational information about their target(s) to increase their probability of success. This technique is, by far, the most successful on the internet today.

  *   Look for overly generic content: You may see email subjects such as “ITS Service Desk” or “Your account has been disabled.” Phishing emails often come from a group, not a user that you can track down.

  *   Look for misspellings or lapses in good grammar: Identity theft attempts often overlook proper spelling and grammar.

  *   There is usually a threat of losing access: Phishing emails mention that your account is in danger of losing access or has lost access. This is to coerce the user into clicking on a contained link or attachment.

  *   Check any links for their true web address: In most email clients you can move your pointer over the text of a link for a second, and the program will reveal the full URL path of the link. By doing this you can tell if the text of the link is the same as the web address it is sending you to.
If you have questions about any email you receive, please contact coeit at uoregon.edu<mailto:coeit at uoregon.edu>, or submit a support ticket through the intake form here: https://coehelp.uoregon.edu.

Sincerely,

Ken

Ken Loge
Assistant Director of Information and Instructional Technology
College of Education
HEDCO 112
541.346.2328

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