Expect to be targeted

Don't ever say "it won't happen to me". Everyone is a potential victim of cyber criminals.

Target iconBeware!

  • Never share your password with anyone.
  • A good password will be strong, unique, and stored in a password manager.
  • Be wary of implied sense of urgency or deadlines.
  • If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Trust your gut!

Keep scrolling to play the online game 'infiltrators', complete the quiz and discover how to stay safe from cybercrime.

Fraudulent communications

Cybercriminals will often use fraudulent communications to trick unsuspecting users into sending them their confidential data.

Phishing

Phishing is a form of fraud that includes malicious emails.

They are designed to gain personal information and may appear to come from a genuine source.

Emails often include links to bogus websites or attachments, which appear to be normal files (for example, Word, Excel or PDF) and are harmful.

How to spot Phishing

IT Services have technical controls in place to filter out spam before it reaches your inbox, but Phishing techniques change and some will inevitably get through.

  • Check who sent you the email.
    Be particularly suspicious of emails asking for personal or financial information.
  • Check the quality of emails.
    Misspelling, poor punctuation and bad grammar are tell-tale signs of phishing.
  • IT Services will never send you an email asking you to confirm your password.
  • Never respond to any email which asks for your account details or requests you make a payment.

Passwords

A unique and strong password reduces the risk of data breaches and protects you from many threats such as identity theft. One of the most common ways that hackers break into computers is by guessing passwords.

Secure passwords

Make passwords difficult to guess by:

  • using a unique password for every account
  • using the three random words technique
  • never share your password with anyone for any reason
  • using a password manager to store and suggest passwords
  • using a minimum of 12 characters in length - always remember, longer is stronger.

What next...

The Information Security Toolkit is full of top tips and advice to help safeguard you, others and the University against cyber threats.

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