Cybersecurity Alerts

Stay Current with IT Security Notices

The DoIT Security Group regularly posts alerts and insights regarding active cyber threats, phishing scams, and system security updates. Follow our myUMBC group to receive instant notifications and security bulletins directly in your email inbox and myUMBC feed.

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Cybersecurity Alerts

Account data breach: Ajarn

Why You Should Not Use Your UMBC Password At Any Other Site

In September 2021, Thai-based English language teaching website, Ajarn, learnt that they suffered a data breach back in September 2018. This breach contained data for approximately 266 thousand...

Posted: September 27, 2021, 5:34 PM

Notice of a LEGITIMATE E-mail Survey!

"Your UMBC Feedback is Requested" Is A VALID Survey Request

Normally, these posts warn of various types of fraud and misdirection that try to mislead victims into giving up personal information and/or money.  The Division of Information Technology (DoIT)...

Posted: September 27, 2021, 4:50 PM

Job Phishing Alert: Department of Psychology

Another Day, Another Job Scam.

Recently, the Division of Information Technology(DOIT) received multiple reports of a job phishing email. The scammers sending these emails are impersonating Professor Cheah of the Department of...

Posted: September 26, 2021, 9:25 PM

Phishing Alert: EMAIL ACCOUNT UPGRADE

DON'T CLICK! DON'T ENTER PASSWORD! CULTIVATE SUSPICION!

The Division of Information Technology( DoIT) recently received reports about an “account upgrade” phishing email. Below is an example of such an email. We removed the recipient’s information for...

Posted: September 26, 2021, 9:20 PM

Seventeen tips to secure your phone

Advice From Smartphone Insight

Smartphone Insight has published a handy guide with step-by-step instructions to protect your IoS or Android phone data. With these 17 tips, your device will continuously be up to date. In...

Posted: September 26, 2021, 9:15 PM

Account data breach: Epik

Epik Accounts Posted Online

On September 13, 2021, the domain registrar and web hosting company, Epik, suffered a data breach. This breach contained data for approximately 15 million Epik and non-Epik customers. Allegedly,...

Posted: September 26, 2021, 9:13 PM

A Phishing Scam With A Malicious Attachment

A Well-Designed Attempt to Gather Your Account and Password

DoIT received a report of a phishing scam that depends on the download and execution of an attachment.  The message, as seen below, appears to come from Joel Avila, the CEO of Edwards Label in...

Posted: September 16, 2021, 8:34 PM

False Payment Scams

A Promise To Return A Payment You Never Made

Recently, DOIT received reports of email messages containing variations on the same financial scam.  Examples are included below.  Both the From and the To addresses are fake.  The recipient is...

Posted: September 16, 2021, 3:19 PM

Summary of Phishing Techniques and Defenses

A Recent Report On Phishing Attacks (And How To Avoid Them)

However you get your news, by now you have seen the term 'phishing' used to describe ways to exploit people on the Internet.  You or someone you know may have been the target of a phishing...

Posted: September 16, 2021, 3:15 PM

Account data breach: Nitro

Digital Document Service Breached

In September 2020, a Portable Document Format(PDF) file and digital document service, Nitro, suffered a data breach. This breach contained data for approximately 78 million customers and was...

Posted: September 14, 2021, 4:04 PM