Phishing attempts – email messages sent by hackers pretending to be your friends, coworkers, or trusted companies – have wreaked havoc across the Internet for years. These messages try to lure you into revealing personal info like passwords and financial information, and their alarmist tone can be deceiving.
Over the past few years, SMU has worked to make people more aware of these phishing attempts by sending simulated phishing emails. For those falling victim to the phishing attempts, the Information Security Team offers training tools to help employees learn how to avoid getting tricked by phishing messages. The success of this AntiPhish awareness program has been huge, with clicks on simulated messages reduced from 43% of the SMU community to only 3%! This means that all of us are becoming more aware of phishing and how to stop it.
To keep our momentum going, OIT will send out another AntiPhish simulation campaign in the coming weeks.
As a reminder, if you receive an email message that appears malicious or asks for confidential personal information, Information Security asks that you do the following:
- Contact the IT Help Desk or your local IT Support group regarding the email.
- Delete the email from your mailbox without clicking on any hyperlinks or attachments.
For valuable resources and other information, please visit the Information Security website at smu.edu/Infosec.
If you have questions about the upcoming phishing simulation or training tools, please contact the IT Help Desk at 214-768-4357 (HELP).
