Now in its 18th year, October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2021 and this year’s theme is “Do your part. #BeCyberSmart.” This theme encourages individuals and organizations to own their role in protecting their part of cyberspace, stressing personal accountability and the importance of taking proactive steps to enhance cybersecurity.
Statistically, phishing emails are the leading cause of data privacy incidents, so it’s more important than ever to equip yourself with the knowledge necessary to identify these malicious messages. Phishing is a type of social engineering where an attacker sends a fraudulent message designed to trick a human victim into revealing sensitive information to the attacker or to deploy malicious software.
Take one minute to review the message and search for any of the five common red flags shown below:
- Message is unexpected or oddly timed
- Message contains odd spelling or grammatical errors
- Message urges actions like clicking links or opening attachments
- Message appears to be time sensitive or threatens consequences for inaction
- Message is requesting money or personal information
When you receive any suspicious communications: Stop and think before you click!
If you suspect a phishing email, please contact the Help Desk at 319.273.8231 or helpdesk@centralriversaea.org.