CIO'S MESSAGE - May 16, 2017

An Important Message about Ransomware and Phishing Email

In light of the recent spike in phishing emails and recent media coverage regarding widespread email-based ransomware attacks, we would to provide some helpful tips and resources. 

Anytime you receive a suspicious email message, please:
•  don’t click any links in the email 
•  don’t open any attachments 
•  never provide banking or confidential information if you haven’t verified the requestor’s legitimacy 
•  delete it without replying

Clicking on links in such emails may lead to sites containing harmful software, including ransomware. If a link looks suspicious, you can hover over the link with your mouse and preview the URL (Web address) without clicking it.

If you receive an email message that you suspect is a phishing attempt, please:
•  follow the guidelines above and 
•  check our known phishing messages page to see if the message has been reported as a phishing attempt, or forward the message to alert@csulb.edu and we’ll validate the authenticity of the message.

We recommend that all CSULB faculty, staff, and students maintain virus protection software on personal computing devices and regularly install the latest virus definitions and updates. For online security tips, you can visit the CSULB Safe Computing site. 

Questions?
Contact ITS-ServiceManagement@csulb.edu with any questions. If you are concerned about the validity of this message, please contact the Technology Help Desk at (562) 985-4959. 

Min Yao, Ph.D.
Vice President and Chief Information Officer