October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and this year’s theme is, “Secure Our World.” 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.
Please take one minute to review the message and search for any of the five common red flags shown below:
- The message is unexpected or oddly timed.
- The message contains odd spelling or grammatical errors.
- The message urges actions like clicking links or opening attachments.
- The message appears to be time sensitive or threatens consequences for inaction.
- The 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 at helpdesk@centralriversaea.org.