A new tool will help you spot phishing emails
Phishing is a serious threat to information security at Aarhus University. On Monday, a new tool will be launched that will help students spot phishing emails.
No, au@hotgirl12.com is not a trustworthy sender. No, you do not have an extremely rich uncle in Africa who died recently. No, Clarissa, who writes to you in a very strange form of English, is not the love of your life. You already know this, but unfortunately it is not always easy to spot a phishing email. Cyber criminals are becoming more and more creative and refined in their methods, and today, phishing is the most common form of cybercrime in Denmark. We see the same trend in the incidents that are reported to AU’s IT department.
On Monday, AU IT therefore adds more security to post.au.dk. In the future, if the email sender is not part of AU, there will be a banner at the top of the email. When you see this banner, it does not mean that it is a phishing email. However, the banner reminds you that you must be extra careful in order to avoid cybercrime. In particular, you should be extra careful and take a look at:
- The sender address. Does it look like an official email address, for example <aarhusuniversity12@gmail.com>?
- Links which appear to be official or familiar at first glance, but which reveal a different destination when you move your mouse over them.
- Emails with requests to act immediately – before your account is closed, before the money is withdrawn, etc.
- Emails with requests to disclose confidential information (for example, password and username) via a link in the email or by answering the email.
- Emails with requests to open attached files.
At https://studerende.au.dk/it-support/informationssikkerhed/phishing/, you can find more information about the special characteristics of phishing emails.
You can also find out what to do if you have inadvertently shared your information.
A secure password
As of Monday, your post.au.dk password will also be checked when you log on to your email. If it is not a secure password, you will receive an email informing you that your password must comply with security requirements and must be changed. If you have not changed your password within seven days after receiving the email, it will no longer be possible for you to log on to post.au.dk. As soon as you have changed your password to a new, secure password, you will be able to access your inbox again.
More information is available here https://post.au.dk/faq/