Compliance Chat #13 Social Engineering

April 5, 2024

Although Alaska feels insulated from cyber crime, more than 1,600 Alaskans were victims of internet crime in 2022. These attacks ranged from tech support scams, personal data breaches, and extortion and also included romance scams, according to FBI data reported by Alaska Public Media. Nationally, cyber-related complaints to the FBI nearly doubled between 2022 from the year before, and show no signs of decreasing as reported by SecurityIntelligence. 

Cybercriminals are hitting closer to home. At a minimum, most of us have received an unwelcome data breach letter stating our information was leaked. Similarly, many of us have friends or family members that fell victim to these cyber attacks. The cyber attacks include social engineering techniques, such as phishing emails or phone scams, to manipulate us into revealing confidential information or granting unauthorized access. Without proper awareness and training, you may unwittingly be subject to social engineering.

In this Compliance Chat video installment we explore social engineering and actions to take to protect ourselves and the university. Mary Gower, Senior Institutional Compliance Liaison, and Josh Craft, UA Security Analyst at the University of Alaska System Office of Information Technology discuss social engineering.

Take Action:
Be skeptical. When encountering unexpected emails, messages, or calls, exercise caution. Before sharing sensitive information or clicking on links, verify the sender’s identity through established and trusted communication channels.

If you suspect social engineering or that you may have unintentionally disclosed university access or information, take immediate action:

  1. Change your password to prevent unauthorized access.
  2. Contact the Office of Information Technology Security at ua-oit-security@alaska.edu or visit the OIT’s website https://www.alaska.edu/oit/ for further assistance and guidance.

Interested in trying to win a prize? After watching this Compliance Chat answer the question: 
Question: What is social engineering?
Email your answer to ua-compliance@alaska.edu. A correct answer will be drawn at random to receive $20* at Amazon.com!
*Gift certificates are taxable. Responses due before April 30th, 2024.

 

Sources:
https://alaskapublic.org/2023/07/05/many-alaskans-were-victims-of-internet-crime-last-year-ai-could-make-things-worse/#:~:text=According%20to%20complaint%20center%20reports,breaches%20can%20take%20many%20forms.

https://securityintelligence.com/news/10-billion-in-cyber-crime-losses-shatters-previous-totals/