Cybercrime strikes a sour note in the music department
After being duped by an email that looked valid and university-generated, Acadia music instructor Paula Rockwell is singing the praises of Acadia鈥檚 Technology Services team.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think [cybercrime] would happen to me,鈥� says Rockwell. 鈥淢y first thought was, how did this happen? And then, I just felt violated.鈥�
鈥淎s soon as Technology Services discovered the unusual activity, my password was automatically blocked. They helped me change my password and set up multi-factor authentication. It took a while to get back up and running, but I appreciate their help,鈥� she says. 鈥淎t Acadia, we are fortunate that the Service Desk is there for us.鈥�
The Service Desk team worked with Rockwell to review her emails and files to determine what, if anything, had been compromised, and they guided her to take measures to prevent further damage.
It can happen to you
鈥淓ven the most tech-savvy individuals can be a victim of a cybercrime,鈥� explains Lisa Speigel, Business Technology Coordinator in Technology Services. 鈥淗ackers are counting on you to be busy, distracted, and trusting.鈥�
In Rockwell鈥檚 case, the email looked valid because it was generated by using a compromised University account. It had the hallmarks of a scam 鈥� urgency and dire consequences, and a link requesting a username and password.
Fortunately, Technology Services was monitoring logins from unfamiliar IP addresses and locations and noticed the unusual activity and blocked it.
Falling victim to a phishing email can be disastrous for individuals and their organizations, explains Speigel. For individuals, the impact of cybercrime can range from inconvenience to monetary loss as well as criminals accessing personal information. For the workplace, it could lead to systemwide outages, ransom demands, and access to organizational data.
Cybersecurity training can help
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and to celebrate, the Technology Services team is offering those who complete online training the chance to win prizes!
鈥淚t鈥檚 a fun way for us to encourage our campus community members to protect themselves, their data, and the University's network through online training,鈥� says Speigel. 鈥淭he time it takes to complete the training will help you defend your accounts from hackers, saving you time and hassle in the long run.鈥�
Acadia students and employees .
Thank you to Cybersecurity Awareness Month sponsors:
- Athletics (5 x two tickets to an Acadia game of your choice)
- Chartwells (pass for two at Wheelock Dining Hall)
- University Club (month pass and drink tickets to the club)
- Office of the President (swag)
- Alumni Affairs (two tickets for the Alumni Gala).
Please note that prizes are not transferable, and at least one guest must be a current employee of 外流影片.