{"204751":{"#nid":"204751","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Gone Phishing\u2014are you the weakest link?","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEmail scams are a common problem and one of the major ways that computer viruses are spread. Email scammers try to collect personal information and access to victims\u2019 accounts through a process known as \u201cphishing.\u201d To help thwart such scams, Georgia Tech\u2019s Information Security (IS) department makes it their duty to educate the public about how to spot phishing, and most importantly, how to avoid becoming a victim.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIS breaks phishing down into three types. In the first, known as the \u201cOld Fashioned Scam,\u201d the scammer directly requests personal information or money from the victim, often by engaging in email conversations to gain trust. In the second type of phishing, scammers send out messages with seemingly innocent links or attachments which, if clicked, download viruses on the victim\u2019s computer and allow the scammer to access personal information. In the third type of phishing, \u201cFake Website,\u201d the scammer contacts victims under the guise of a trusted source like a bank or health care provider and presses the victim to enter username and password information.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo help the GT community avoid these scams, IS offers campus departments and organizations free anti-phishing training sessions conducted on site upon request. Or campus units can opt for experiential training by participating in a \u201cpractice\u201d phishing session, in which faculty and staff receive a mock phishing email from IS that imitates the real thing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIS also suggests that computer users check the address of any emailed website link before clicking on it.\u0026nbsp;Verify contact information to ensure that the sender and link are legit. If you aren\u2019t sure, call the company or person who sent the email to find out if they actually sent it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGeorgia Tech continues to implement technical solutions to prevent the bad guys from penetrating our networks and systems,\u201d states Jimmy Lummis, Information Security Policy and Compliance Manager for IS. \u201cThe bad guys have switched tactics and are now focusing on manipulating our users into providing the information they\u2019re after. Phishing is now the biggest cyber threat we face on campus, and user education is the only effective means of combating the threat. Reducing the rate of compromised accounts from phishing would greatly improve the Institute\u0027s risk posture.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor more information on phishing and the ways to avoid it, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.security.gatech.edu\u0022 title=\u0022www.security.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ewww.security.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E. To find out about anti-phishing training, contact Jimmy Lummis at \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jimmy.lummis@oit.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejimmy.lummis@oit.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEmail scams are a common problem and one of the major ways that computer viruses are spread. Email scammers try to collect personal information and access to victims\u2019 accounts through a process known as \u201cphishing.\u201d To help thwart such scams, Georgia Tech\u2019s Information Security (IS) department makes it their duty to educate the public about how to spot phishing, and most importantly, how to avoid becoming a victim.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27572","created_gmt":"2013-04-05 09:21:40","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:59","author":"Kim MacLeod","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-03-22T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-03-22T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"174291","name":"OIT"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"153","name":"Computer Science\/Information Technology and Security"}],"keywords":[{"id":"8111","name":"phishing"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}