CIO'S MESSAGE - October 29, 2024
A Message from the Vice President & CIO
Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Three Nightmarish Tales That Have Spooked CSULB
The Ghost of the Fake Job Offer
It all began with an innocent-looking email. The subject line read: “Exciting Job Opportunity – Apply Now!” The sender claimed to be a reputable person looking for students to fill easy, work-from-home positions. The qualifications were minimal, the pay was generous, and the selection process was almost nonexistent. It seemed like a dream come true!
Clarice, a diligent student juggling classes and part-time work, was thrilled. She quickly applied and, to her delight, was “hired” almost immediately. The job seemed simple enough: deposit a check sent by the company, keep a portion as her salary, and transfer the rest to various accounts for “business expenses.”
But as Clarice followed the instructions, a chill ran down her spine. The company’s emails were vague and urgent. Days later, her worst nightmare came true. The bank notified her that the check was fraudulent. The funds were gone, and her account was overdrawn. The “company” had vanished, leaving Clarice with a financial mess and a heavy heart.
The Luring Request
It was a normal day, but lurking in the digital shadows was a sinister scam. It began with a simple email: “Are you available?” The sender appeared to be Dr. Krueger, the Dean of the college. Professor Nancy, eager to help, replied quickly. Dr. Krueger asked her to buy gift cards for an urgent event. Without hesitation, Nancy purchased the cards and sent the codes.
Later, a chilling realization hit her. Dr. Krueger knew nothing about the request. Nancy had been scammed out of hundreds of dollars. The emails were from a phantom, exploiting the trust and authority of university officials.
The Fake Document Bait
Costumes, decorations, and spooky stories filled the air. But in the digital realm, a more sinister story was unfolding. It started with an email. The subject line read: “Important Document – Please Review.” The sender appeared to be Professor Addams, a well-respected faculty member. The email contained a link to a SharePoint document, supposedly urgent university business.
Morty, a diligent student, received the email and clicked the link without a second thought. The page looked legitimate, asking for his university login credentials to access the document. He entered his details and waited for the document to load. But instead of important information, he was met with an error message. He later discovered his school account was hacked and used to email thousands of CSULB accounts with a similar scam until his account was eventually detected and seized by campus IT.
In Summary
Let these generalized but true chilling tales be a warning. Scammers are lurking in the shadows, preying on our university community. Stay vigilant and arm yourself with the best phishing defense tips at Beware of Phishing Scams at CSULB.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month Activities and Resources
- Creepy Tales from the Web video
- WIN LB SWAG! Test your Cybersecurity knowledge by taking a short quiz and be included in a drawing for one of many LB swag packs. Quiz closes October 31, 2024. Winners will be contacted via email.
