Please beware of malicious email attacks – especially at this time of year
There is currently a phishing attempt circulating which includes a zip file entitled ‘Your Docs Are Ready’ which some staff have opened at home and on personal devices.
Please be careful of any unexpected emails you receive of this kind – even if it appears to come from an organisation or person you know. They may be trying to obtain personal login information for your computer or bank accounts.
If you have inadvertently opened a phishing email, or downloaded the zip file, you will need to:
- Immediately change your password. Guidelines for this are at https://go.shu.ac.uk/password
- Contact the real organisation to report spam emails in circulation and that you may have potentially compromised your account.
- If you are using University equipment, contact IT Help to report the problem so they can clean your computer; if you’re using your own equipment, make sure you update and run your own virus software protection straight away.
We have seen a heavy increase in the number of phishing threats to the University recently – and methods of attack are becoming ever more sophisticated.
We can’t send an email every time there is an alert, so please be vigilant and familiarise yourself with the advice for dealing with suspicious emails, including how to report them using the public spam folder and guidance about staying safe online.