Protect Your Email
Email is one of the most common ways cybercriminals try to trick users into sharing information or clicking harmful links. This page provides simple tips to help you recognize suspicious emails, avoid phishing scams, and protect your personal and College information. Staying alert and following good email habits can help keep your inbox — and the College — safe.
Email Safety Tips
Keep your inbox fortified: Use a strong, unique password for your email account and enable multi-factor authentication. Your email is the gateway to most of your other accounts. If it's compromised, attackers can reset passwords across every service you use.
Spot phishing before you click: Be skeptical of unexpected emails asking you to verify credentials, click a link, or open an attachment. Legitimate organizations will never ask for your password via email. When in doubt, go directly to the website rather than clicking any link in the message.
Don't trust the "From" name: Email senders can be spoofed to appear to be someone or an organization you know or trust. Check the actual email address behind the display name, especially before replying with sensitive information or transferring funds.
Be cautious with attachments: Malware is commonly delivered through email attachments. If you receive unexpected or unwanted emails with attachments, do not open them, and confirm through a trusted source that the email is legitimate.
Report suspicious messages: Don't engage with spam or phishing emails. Report them using the "KnowBe4" report phishing button and delete them immediately. Even if you unsubscribe, engaging can confirm your email address as active.
Check out our other resource pages to learn more about Online Safety Tips and Good Habits, and how to defend yourself from Social Engineering.
Report Suspicious Work Emails
With the ever-growing risks that are associated with Phishing emails, PBSC has instituted a quick and easy-to-use Phishing submission method for suspected Phishing attempts. You will now be able to simply click the “Report Phishing” icon in the Outlook Toolbar.
Pushing this button will forward a copy of the email to the Information Security Office for review and mitigation, if necessary. This will help the college to gain visibility into existing Phishing threats and enable us to respond accordingly.
