Madalynn Wilson
Lantern Staff
Something phishy is in the air at Butler Community College as staff and students alike are reminded to be aware of what comes into their inbox.
The Information Security Department at Butler sent out fake phishing emails to staff to test their knowledge about scam emails. They sent out the first emails on Wednesday, Sept. 11 and then released several more waves afterwards.
According to Tevin Manuel, the chief information security officer, “Phishing is intentional harvesting of information so that unauthorized access to something of value may be gained.”
The department had two reasons for sending these emails. First, they wanted to figure out what people do with phishing emails, if they comply or report them. Second, they wanted to educate Butler staff. The department wanted to show staff what tactics phishing emails use, so they are better prepared to spot them when they receive them.
Only a few people fell victim to the emails across the college. Once they clicked the link, they were directed to a page educating them about phishing emails and how to spot them.
Shane Boyle, a criminal justice major, sometimes receives phishing emails from spammers, pretending to be big corporations but is able to spot them easily.
“I learned about it in my network security class in high school,” Boyle said, “I have a good eye for pointing those things out. For example, I got an email Saturday that said ‘Hello, I’m Andy from Google,’ and he wanted me to sign into my account, but I’m already signed into Google on my phone.”
There are several different ways to spot phishing emails. According to Manuel, if there is an email from IS asking for your username and password, delete it immediately. They will never ask for your information. Students need to be particularly careful about people offering part-time jobs. Unless it is from the career adviser at Butler, users cannot trust it.
“All users should ask themselves, ‘why is this email coming to me?’,” Manuel said. “If there is a sense of urgency in the email, call the Service Desk [Help Desk], Information Security Team or sender to validate the email.”
To avoid getting these emails in the future, users should never post their email in public places. This is an invitation for scams. If users follow all these precautions, they can keep their inbox safe.