Student Inform—October 7, 2024
- Cybersecurity Awareness Month Events
- How to Avoid and Report Phishing Scams
- Cybersecurity Awareness Training: Let's Hit 5000!
Cybersecurity Awareness Month Events
Cheers to Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Owls! To celebrate, UITS is hosting a series of FREE events that will help you protect your data. Check out the event details below!
FBI Files
The FBI is the leading federal agency to investigate cyber-attacks and intrusions. Join this talk to gain inside knowledge from Supervisory Special Agent Dayne Henriques about common online crimes and risks so you know how to protect yourself from identity theft, ransomware, spoofing and phishing, and other online threats.
Tuesday, Oct. 8, 11–11:30 a.m. via Teams—Register on Owl Life
AI Voice Automated Cloning Scams
Did your distressed mother just call you for help? Are you certain it was your mother? Artificial Intelligence technology is advancing rapidly and available to a large audience. Not all uses of AI are to make our lives easier. Learn how to spot AI voice scams in this engaging talk by Dr. Humayun Zafar (Professor of Information Security and Assurance).
Tuesday, Oct, 22, 11–11:30 a.m. via Teams—Register on Owl Life
How to Avoid and Report Phishing Scams
Email is the official method of communication at KSU; all announcements and business-related correspondence are shared by official KSU email accounts.
The bad news: Phishing seems to be cybercriminals' official method of scamming people.
The good news: Reporting suspicious emails is simple and easy! Click the Phish Alert button in your KSU email application and confirm your submission in the pop-up panel on the right-hand side of the screen.
Follow these tips as you assess each email:
- Look for [EXTERNAL] in the email subject line. This indicates that the email may come from a non-KSU sender. Does the email address end in "@kennesaw.edu"? If not, the email may be a phishing attempt.
- Don’t automatically trust an email sender's display name. Even if the name displayed matches the name of a person you know, check the email address to confirm the sender. Any email claiming to be an employee of the university that does not originate from email ending in “@kennesaw.edu” should arouse your suspicion, especially if it claims to be from a person in a leadership position.
- Check (but don't click) the links to web sites. Hover your cursor over links in the message and note the address. Does the address make sense and match the rest of the content of the email? For example, links to most KSU or USG sites will include kennesaw.edu or usg.edu. The same is typically true of other companies.
- Check for errors. Attackers are often less careful about spelling or grammar than legitimate senders.
- Be cautious about attachments. Do not click on attachments that are unexpected or from unknown senders.
- Beware of urgency. Remember that scammers might try to make it sound as if there is an emergency (e.g., someone needs money right away, your account has been compromised, or someone is in trouble). If the sender is trying to influence you to act quickly, it may be wise to slow down instead.
- Take time to think it through. Phishers can use company logos, professional photos, and even spoofed email addresses to make their attempts look more legitimate. Take extra caution in reviewing an email that you did not expect to receive and asks you to take action.
Report Phishing at KSU
If you have any doubts about the legitimacy of an email, report it to UITS! Forward suspicious emails to abuse@kennesaw.edu, or click the "Phish Alert Report" button in Outlook. The Phish Alert Report button can look slightly different based on whether you're using Outlook on the Web, the Outlook app on your computer, or Outlook for mobile devices. Check out this resource for more information.
For more information, including examples of real phishing attempts at KSU, check out the KSU Phish Market.
Cybersecurity Awareness Training: Let's Hit 5000!
Hooty Hoo, student assistants! Nearly 3000 of you have completed Fall 2024 Cybersecurity Awareness Training. Can we soar to 5000 by the end of this week?
Remember: The USG requires all KSU employees, including student assistants, to complete this training by October 31. Don't wait!
How to Complete Your Training
The training is available on KnowBe4, the USG's cybersecurity training platform. You can complete the training online or in person:
- Tuesday, October 8, from 10–10:30 a.m. in the Clendenin Building, room CL1009 (Kennesaw)
- Tuesday, October 22, from 10–10:30 a.m. in the J.M. Wilson Student Center, room A216 (Marietta)
Need help? UITS is here for you! Contact the KSU Service Desk with any questions or concerns.
Thank you for helping protect university data!
