Month: October 2017

Before I leave . . . (NCSAM)!

STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™: Simple Steps to Online Safety

Identity theft is one of the number one cyber crimes that occurs daily. Identity theft is the illegal use of someone else’s personal information (such as a Social Security number), most often used to obtain money or credit. Identity theft may take many years to fully recover from.

Phishing is one way to obtain information to commit identity theft. Phishing is a form of fraud in which an attacker attempts to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details for malicious reasons, by impersonating a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Being able to differentiate between a phishing scam and a legitimate interaction is essential in protecting yourself from identity theft.

Social engineering, psychological manipulation of people to perform actions or divulge confidential information, is another way to obtain information through false pretenses.

You can learn ways to protect yourself from identity theft, phishing, and social engineering attacks by attending this Friday’s speaker series event featuring Lieutenant Colonel April Wimmer in Mendenhall Room 221 from 12pm-1pm.