ITS: Be alert to holiday scams online
Information Technology Services at Mississippi State and the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team, US-CERT, remind everyone to remain vigilant when browsing online this holiday season.
E-cards from unknown senders may contain malicious links. Fake advertisements or shipping notifications may deliver infected attachments. Spoofed e-mail messages and fraudulent posts on social networking sites may request support for phony causes.
To avoid seasonal campaigns that could result in security breaches, identity theft or financial loss, you are encouraged to note the following:
-- Do not follow unsolicited links or download attachments from unknown sources.
-- Refer to these US-CERT security tips to learn more about shopping safely online, www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST07-001.html, avoiding social engineering and phishing attacks, www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST04-014.html, and protecting personal Internet-enabled devices, www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/ST11-001.
-- Visit the Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Information page on Charity Scams -- www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0011-charity-scams -- for more information on this subject.
If you believe you are a victim of a phishing scam or malware campaign, consider the following actions:
-- File a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), www.ic3.gov/default.aspx.
-- Report the attack to the police, and file a report with the Federal Trade Commission, www.ftc.gov.
-- Contact your financial institution immediately and close any accounts that may have been compromised. Watch for any unexplainable charges to your account.
-- Immediately change any passwords you might have revealed. If you used the same password for multiple resources, make sure to change it for each account, and do not use that password in the future.
-- Contact the ITS Help Desk at 662-325-0631, 888-398-6394 or helpdesk@msstate.edu if you have a Mississippi State-related IT security issue or question.
