KnowBe4
Technology Services has added PhishER to our cybersecurity toolbox to quickly identify and respond to user-reported malicious messages. If you receive a suspicious email, please use the Phish Alert Button to report it. The PAB is a red fish hook located on the side panel of your Gmail page. If you do not have the PAB, please email helpdesktickets@sbc.edu.
Sweet Briar College offers its students, faculty, and staff a series of cybersecurity training and tools through KnowBe4. These service are available to you free of charge.
In the near future, you will receive an email invitation from KnowBe4 <do-not-reply@training.knowbe4.com> informing you that you have been enrolled in a specific cybersecurity class. Once you have received such an email, click on the training link contained in the email to log in to the KnowBe4 training site and start your training. Once you have successfully logged in to the KnowBe4 training site, click on the drop down beside your email address, and then click on the My Training link to start your training.
In light of the increasing number of phishing attempts that have been going around, Technology Services wanted to provide tips to help keep your accounts secure.
Common Cybersecurity Threats
- Malware
- Phishing
- Ransomware
- Spam
“Phishing” and Ransomware scams are a very popular tactic that hackers use to trick users such as you into thinking they received an email from a reputable company. They will use logos, fake but realistic-looking email addresses and contacts, and other tactics to trick you into clicking a malicious link that could compromise your security. Do NOT click links from emails that you were not expecting, raise any sort of suspicion or from contacts not already in your contact list.
Tips to spot and avoid a scam
- Strange or big requests
- Website is “unsecure”
- Misspelled words
- No Contact information
- Block unwanted calls and text messages
- Don’t give your personal or financial information in response to a request that you didn’t expect
- Resist the pressure to act immediately
- Know how scammers tell you to pay
- Stop and talk to someone you trust
- Notify SBC’s Help Desk immediately ( helpdesktickets@sbc.edu) if you think your account has been compromised
- Adhere to SBC’s Acceptable Use policy
- Use strong passwords
Easy passwords are the Achilles heel of the internet. 123456, passw0rd, admin, abc123 – they just won’t cut it in a world full of sophisticated hackers. In fact, experts recommend that your password for financial and sensitive sites be at least 12 digits, with a mixture of capital & lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
- Create strong passwords and change them regularly.
- Use passphrases to create long and secure passwords. For example, use “Th3CowJumpedOverTheM00n” instead of “The cow jumped over the moon.” It’s over 15 characters long and nearly impossible to crack.
- Never write a password down and stick it near your device (e.g. top drawer, back of the laptop, mobile case, etc.). People do this!
- Do not use birthdays, family names, pets, locations, and words that you can find in the dictionary – hackers can easily source this info online. They also guess season and year combinations, such as “Summer2017.” This is a popular password format, so it’s best to avoid using it.
- Do not store your passwords in your email account, unsecured Cloud accounts, or anywhere that is open to a hack.
- Enable two-step authentication/two-factor authentication (2FA) for websites that store personal info (e.g. email, social media sites, etc.).
- Consider a password manager, but realize that these are also subject to hacking.
- Choose security questions carefully.
- Don’t share your private information over the phone.
- Keep unfamiliar objects out of your computer.
- Install and update anti-virus software.
- Cover your webcam while not in use.
For more information on cybersecurity refer to: https://www.cisa.gov/topics/cybersecurity-best-practices
Need help?
Email helpdesktickets@sbc.edu with your request.