Windows 10 Upgrade Scam Warning

According to this blog post and others like it.  There are malicious emails circulating masquerading as invitations to upgrade to Windows 10.  Please note that the safest way to upgrade to Windows 10 is through Windows Update.  We have not received reports of Manhattan College accounts receiving these emails.  We are proactively warning users to be cautious should they receive and email as described in this blog post.

Heartbleed Bug

The following is an update to the Manhattan College community regarding the recently discovered Heartbleed software bug - http://heartbleed.com/

ITS has been working with our software vendors to investigate our exposure to the recently identified Heartbleed bug that affects OpenSSL software - one of the most common cryptographic libraries used to secure Internet communications such as secure websites (via https://) and VPNs.

The majority of our "production" systems such as www.manhattan.edu, Banner, self-service, SSO, Moodle, etc were never vulnerable to the flaw based on the version of software installed on these systems.  Some "test" systems with limited access were vulnerable, but patched by Tuesday AM.  Additionally, ITS is taking preventative measures to update software and configurations on all systems running OpenSSL cryptographic software as a precaution.


What do I need to do?  Be aware of scams!

In the coming days, you may be notified by various services related to your social media, banking, or other accounts potentially affected by the Heartbleed bug.  Take these notifications seriously and consider changing your password on these services.   Currently, no action is required for your JasperNet account.  If this changes, the campus community will be notified.

Be aware of scams!  With the legitimate notices will come "phishing" scams from illegitimate sources asking for your username, password and/or other personal information.  ALWAYS verify the legitimacy of these types of messages and NEVER give your password or personal information unless you are certain that you are dealing with a trusted service.  Tips on how to avoid phishing scams can be found here:  http://www.phishing.org/scams/prevent-phishing/

Phishing Scam

It has been brought to our attention that there is another phishing scam circulating.  In the email there is a link where they ask you to click on to update your information.  Please delete this email and disregard.  If you accidentally clicked on the link, please change your password immediately.  If you require assistance in changing your password, please contact Client Services at x7973 or its@manhattan.edu.

Thank you for your attention.

Phishing Emails

This is a reminder that Manhattan College ITS will never ask you for your username and password. There is another round of Phishing Scams making their way around the internet.  We felt it would be a good time to remind people to be wary of these emails.

How to tell if the email is real or phishing:

• Is the email signed by a generic entity?  Can you truly identify specifically who the email is from?  Emails from Manhattan College ITS will typically be signed "Client Services" or "Manhattan College ITS".
• How is the email written?  Does the email contain grammar and spelling mistakes?
• Does the email seem legitimate?  Sometimes just reading the email, it feels funny in your gut.
• Does the email ask you for personal information?  Manhattan College ITS will not ask you for personal information via email.

Please use this information not only regarding your Manhattan College account, but also for your bank account and other personal account information.

If you receive any unsolicited email or phone call from an entity, including an entity you recognize, proceed with caution.  You best bet is almost always to hang up and then call the entity at a known number to verify the legitimacy of the communication that was made to you.  You're better off safe than sorry.

What should you do if you have fallen victim to a phishing scam?

Depending on the type of information that you provided the steps vary:

• If a username and password was provided, immediately log in and change your password.
• If personal account information (a bank account, credit card information, social security number, etc) immediately contact those institutions to let them know what happened.

If you receive an email identifying itself as Manhattan College ITS and you are not sure if it is real or not, feel free to forward the email to its@manhattan.edu for verification.

Beware of Phishing Scams

It was brought to the attention of ITS by multiple employees yesterday that a phishing scam email was circulating.  A phishing scam is when the email tries to scare you into clicking a malicious link by telling you that your account will be disabled or you will run out of space if you do not take action.

If you ever recieve an email such as this you should carefully consider it's validity before taking any action.  The appropriate course of action is to contact the valid entity via a valid form of communication.  In the case of Manhattan College ITS this would be to either call x7973 or email its@manhattan.edu and inform them that you received such an email.  Remember that Manhattan College ITS will never ask you for your username and password.  Whenever any entity asks you for any personal information always take caution before revealing such information.  In emails always take caution before clicking on any link.