Protect Yourself from Phishing Attacks

Owned by Former user (Deleted)
Last updated: Nov 30, 2017 by Timothy Pinkham

 

Introduction

This page explains how you can protect yourself against phishing attacks, and how to respond if your account has been compromised.

To learn more about how phishing attacks work, see About Phishing Attacks.


What can I do to protect myself?


1) Enable 2-step verification on your Biola Gmail account

This adds an additional layer of security to your Gmail account to make it more difficult for users to gain access to your account. We also recommend that you do this for any other personal accounts you have.


2) Update the password recovery email address we have on file for you at login.biola.edu

Your password recovery email address is where we'll send a password reset link if needed for any reason. 


3) Consider these essential security reminders:

  • Biola (or Google) will never close your account suddenly. Thieves love to prey on fear and uncertainty to get you to make a hasty decision.

  • Pause and think before you click. If you get a message and aren’t sure if it’s legitimate, delete it, or give the Helpdesk a call at x4740 (562-903-4740).

  • Be very skeptical of links in emails or attachments that take you to anything with a login screen. It’s better to type the address manually into your browser than to click. The following links take you to different websites; can you spot the fake without visiting the site?

  • IT will never ask you for credentials or other sensitive information via email, text, or telephone.

 
 If you have questions or need any assistance, don’t hesitate to contact our IT Helpdesk at (562) 903-4740. We’re here to help!

 

What should I do if I receive a phishing email?

When you receive a suspicious email, please forward it to phishing@biola.edu.

Forwarding these attacks to IT allows us to analyze these messages so that we can improve our ability to identify and respond to them proactively before they reach your inbox.

 

 What should I do if my account has been compromised?

 

If you clicked on the link from a phishing email, and submitted your NetID credentials, please navigate immediately to login.biola.edu and do the following:

 

  1. Reset your NetID password. 

  2. Sign Out of all Google Web Sessions.  

  3. Confirm that the personal email address listed is yours – if not please remove it. 

  4. Notify the IT Helpdesk immediately. This may allow them to secure the account before malicious actors can use it.

 

If you clicked on the link but did not submit your NetID credentials, no further action is needed. Simply delete the email.

If you need help, contact the IT Helpdesk using one of the methods listed in the sidebar to the left.