Tag: Phishing

We have one final topic this last week of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. We’re talking about spotting phishing emails and scams and how to report them. After I explain the process to report phishing emails and where to report other types of scams, Gabby, my student worker has a “Halloween-ized” section on how to spot those “scary” phishing emails and also explains spear phishing.

October is here! The weather is changing, classes are almost half-completed, Mountain Day is coming fast, and it is Cybersecurity Awareness Month! It’s that time of year to take a few minutes to examine our behaviors and awareness level, complete some training, go on a digital scavenger hunt, and maybe win some prizes! In addition to three more articles covering cybersecurity awareness topics this month, there is yet another scavenger hunt, open to students, faculty, and staff, where you will dive into topics related or adjacent to cybersecurity, solve the clues, and maybe end up with a Sony Bluetooth speaker or some other cool gizmo.

We’re fully underway for the Fall 2025 semester. Classes are in full swing, sports are active, and dangerous emails continue to fill our Inboxes. All of the usual cybersecurity threats are still out there, only now they are augmented by generative artificial intelligence (genAI). Of all things to improve the ability of cyber-attackers to be more successful, genAI has moved the needle the most. Now, instead of simple emails claiming you owe money for a Geek Squad subscription, you might receive an entire email thread generated solely to convince you to hand over your money or account credentials.

Welcome to a brand new year here at Berry College! I know everyone has a lot on their plates right now, so this newsletter will be to the point, but I have a lot of things to share with you. Speaking of things to share, this newsletter is a monthly production of the Office of Information Security, which is part of the Office of Information Technology (OIT)

It’s June again and SOAR sessions, camps, and all kinds of summer activities are in full swing, which is why this newsletter is so late in showing up. I assumed that few of you would have time to take a look at my monthly musings on cybersecurity awareness until things settle down a bit. June is rapidly passing by, almost half gone now (more by the time you read this), so here we go with another few hundred words about cybersecurity awareness training, phishing email attacks, separation of personal and work activity, sensitivity labels, generative AI fakes, and any other topic I can squeeze into a couple of paragraphs.

It’s May again, and (most of) the students have retreated to their homes until the fall. It is the time for many a project to take off running toward completion. This summer even brings with it a change in leadership for the college, which will no doubt cause many adjustments to everyone’s routine. I hope everyone’s projects and summer work go smoothly and are successful.

April is here and the semester is winding down. I hope everyone’s semester is going well and you are able to both get all your work done and enjoy the spring weather. I have two topics this month that are not new, but, as all things cybersecurity related, have changed, intensified or obviously need clarification. Those topics are phishing emails and keeping your personal activities separate from your work activities. I want to take a little different approach to these two topics, so hang with me and take the next few minutes to finish reading this newsletter.