Cyber threats usually find their way into an organisation because members of staff have accidentally clicked on a malicious attachment or website link. Here are some key things to remember to reduce the likelihood of a future attack being successful.

1. Always be on your guard for suspicious emails

Attacks typically begin through email messages with attachments or links to websites. Please treat any email containing these with caution, particularly if you are not expecting it. These emails frequently appear to be from your contacts so any unusual email must be treated with suspicion. Check the address the email was sent from carefully to see if it looks correct and confirm with the sender (by forwarding rather than replying) before opening anything you think out of the ordinary. For more advice on dealing with suspicious emails please see the IT Help page at https://portal.shu.ac.uk/departments/IS/ithelp/helpme/Pages/suspicious_emails_Phishing.aspx

2. Restart your computer frequently to enable updates

To make sure the University IT is protected against as many attacks as possible, Digital Technology Services install security updates every month. For these updates to take effect, PCs normally need to be restarted. If your PC has not been restarted recently, please make sure you reboot it now and continue to do so regularly to ensure it is adequately protected.

3. Stay informed

The IT Security Blog will provide advice on good practice and IT security issues that you should be aware of.  You can subscribe for regular updates.

4. If in doubt, ask

If you ever have any concerns or suspicions about IT systems or services, or think you might have opened a malicious link or attachment, please contact IT Help on x3333 or ithelp@shu.ac.uk

​