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Phishing

Cybercriminals like to go phishing, but you don’t have to take the bait.

Phishing is when criminals use fake emails, social media posts or direct messages with the goal of luring you to click on a bad link or download a malicious attachment. If you click on a phishing link or file, you can hand over your personal information to the cybercriminals. A phishing scheme can also install malware onto your device. 

 

There's no need to fear your inbox, though. Fortunately, it’s easy to avoid a scam email, but only once you know what to look for. With some knowledge, you can outsmart the phishers every day.

See it so you don’t click it

The signs can be subtle, but once you recognize a phishing attempt you can avoid falling for it. Before clicking any links or downloading attachments, take a few seconds (literally 4 seconds) and ensure the email looks legit. Here are some quick tips on how to clearly spot a phishing email: 

  • Does it contain an offer that’s too good to be true?
  • Does it include language that’s urgent, alarming or threatening?
  • Is the writing poorly crafted and riddled with misspellings and bad grammar?
  • Is the greeting ambiguous or very generic?
  • Does it include requests to send personal information?
  • Does it stress an urgency to click on an unfamiliar hyperlink or attachment?
  • Is it a strange or abrupt business request?
  • Does the sender’s email address match the company it’s coming from? Look for little misspellings like pavpal.com or anazon.com
Phishing 2

About Phishing

Episode 01 - Vishing

Episode 02 - Phishing Ransomware

Uh oh! I see a phishing email. What do I do?

Phishing 3

Don’t worry, you’ve already done the hard part, which is recognizing that an email is fake and part of a criminal’s phishing expedition. If you’re at the office and the email came to your work email address, report it to your IT manager or security officer as quickly as possible. 

If the email came to your personal email address, don’t do what it says. Do not click on any links–even the unsubscribe link–or reply back to the email. Just use that delete button. 

Remember, DON’T CLICK ON LINKS, JUST DELETE. 

You can take your protection a step further and block the sending address from your email program. Here’s how to block a sender on:

Report phishing

Some email platforms let you report phishing attempts. If you suspect an email is phishing for your information, it’s best to report it quickly. If the phishing message came to your work email, let the IT department know about the situation ASAP. 

Here’s how to report a phish on:

You can reach out to infosec@aus.edu or the IT team if you suspect a phishing, fraudulent or scam message. They can assist in verifying its authenticity and blocking malicious messages to protect others at AUS.

AUS Infosec team

The Information Security Team at  American University of Sharjah, is responsible for establishing, implementing and maintaining a security program  that ensures confidentiality, integrity and the availability of all data and services related to AUS digital systems.
 
This program encompasses working with management to establish and refine information security standards, procedures and guidelines. The Infosec team works closely with cross-functional teams to evaluate the creation, testing and deployment of security policies, standards and risk mitigation strategies. The team is also responsible for performing risk and vulnerability assessments of various systems and digital assets at AUS, and for implementing responses to information security incidents. 
 
Additionally, the team is dedicated to promoting awareness regarding information security, as well as providing education and training to users on the correct application of computer security practices and the significance of data security. 
 
Team 2