Michelle AngukaAs many employees continue working from home, cybercriminals are seizing on the moment and finding new victims to target via email. The good news is that there are ways to identify fraudulent emails that may pop up in your inbox. Below are some tips on how to spot a phishing email and safeguard your data.
Be On Guard For These Red Flags
Phishing emails often look like they’re from a company you know and trust. If an email seems suspicious, look for some tell tale signs. These include emails that:
- Urge you to click a link
- Ask you to enter your username and password
- Request money transfer
- Ask you to buy gift cards
- Ask you to send personal information
- Have poor wording or phrasing that seems off
Protect Yourself from Scammers
The best way to prevent damage caused by phishing is by setting up two-factor authentication (2FA), says Communications and Training Specialist with IS&T Garrett Eastwood. Two-factor authentication offers an extra layer of security for users by requiring an extra step for ID verification when logging into their Chapman University accounts. This extra verification step prevents unauthorized users from accessing sensitive university data and documents in the event a user’s login credentials are compromised. For more information on how to register for 2FA, please visit IS&T’s 2FA information page on chapman.edu.
If you’ve clicked a link on a phishing email but did not enter any data and you were not prompted to install a program, remove the temporary internet files and cookies.
If you entered data in a phishing email, reset your password. Eastwood recommends using passphrases to make them more complex and easier to remember. For more on password safety read 5 Tips to Make Your Password More Secure During Covid-19.
To learn more about cyber security measures at Chapman and to stay up- to-date with the latest security alerts visit the IS&T security website.
