Holiday tips for online safety!

 

Every year, attackers step up their activity over the holidays and use holiday related themes and tricks to get you to click on harmful links and download malicious software. Whether it is your personal online safety or the safety of the University networks, watch out for phishing email that will use holiday related ruses to get you to click.

Here are some tips from the Chapman University information security office to help us all stay safe over the holiday season!

Take a little more care at looking at links and URLs

Phishing websites are around all year, but with the sometimes hectic holiday season, people’s guard can be down and they could fall victim to phishing attempts. Hovering over links in webpages and emails as well as taking that second to just look at the address bar and see what site you’re really at can save you from falling for a phishing page.

Watch out for fake dealsemail-holiday-scam

As the holidays approach, your inbox will become cluttered with online deals. Some of the deals will seem too good to be true, and that is where it is easy to get in trouble. Make sure you carefully screen your email messages for fake email scams.

Look out for fake purchase invoices

With holiday shopping starting to ramp up and the daily deluge of holiday discounts in your inbox, it can be confusing to remember which online stores you actually purchased items from.

Shipping status malware messages

Along the same lines as fake email receipt messages, fake shipping notifications usually increase each year around the holidays. If you haven’t ordered it, do not click.

Fake surveys

Survey emails sent out promising some sort of money or gift card in exchange for completing it can end up being a scam. Often the surveys are very short and generic, but at the end they may ask for some personal information.

Tax Fraud

As tax season approaches, tax fraud increases. Be aware of tax scams that ask payroll and HR staff for W-2 information, or phone calls demanding parents pay a fake federal student tax. The IRS will not call to demand immediate payment or threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying. Generally, the IRS will first mail you a bill if you owe any taxes.

Finally the internet of things is here

There will be many connectable devices this holiday season, whether cameras or coffee pots you can turn on with an app on your phone, a drone or a smart light bulb system. When you’re setting up your new gadgets, take the extra few minutes to reset the password they came with, so your device doesn’t run the risk of becoming part of someone else’s botnet.

 

Stay Safe over the holidays!!

Information Security office, IS&T (chapman.edu/security)