Security Alert
December 11th, 2020
We have recently become aware that the following phishing email is currently circulating:
Email Subject Line: Message data from FX1-#9100022 Gordon Milk Transport
During a significant media event, such as the death of a celebrity or natural disaster, many users are often searching the same thing. Cyber criminals will often create a page designed to phish credentials or install malware onto a machine and then tailor it so that it is one of the top results from a search engine. Many will pretend to be charities in order to steal your money. During big media events, stick to well known and reputable sites to avoid these scams.
Do's: | Example: |
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Choose a question that limited people will know about you. | Name of your first grade teacher |
Most questions don't have a limit on characters. Make the answer a phrase or restate the question in the answer. | If the question is "Where was your first vacation?", make the answer "My first vacation was place." |
If you can remember it, choose to answer the question incorrectly. | If the question asks for your mother's maiden name, answer with your grandmother's maiden name. |
Create an algorithm, or method, for answering security questions. | Type in the question backwards. |
Don'ts: | Example: |
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Don't choose a question where the answer is likely to change over the years. | Favorite food, Favorite color |
Don't choose a question where there are limited possibilities for answers because many websites don't put a limit on how many times on can attempt security questions. | Person's birth month, make and model of a car |
Don't choose a question that asks for simple family member information. Many people can get this information from a social media site. | Name of your aunt, First pet |
Don't choose a question that asks for school names. If somebody knows or can find where you grew up, it won't be hard to guess where you went to school. | You grew up in Kent, so it is likely that you went to Kent State University |
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is a method that requires more than one form of verification before granting access to a computer or account.
Authentication can come from three different things: