Phishing Emails Targeting University Accounts

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The university has seen a significant rise in phishing emails sent to faculty, staff and students in the last couple of weeks. Several campus members have fallen victim to these attacks, causing their accounts to be compromised. The holiday season is only going to make this issue increasingly worse over the next month, which is why it is important to know how you can help keep yourself and the university protected from a data breach.  

The university will never ask for your usernames, passwords, MFA codes or other sensitive information via email, text or phone call. Do not share your login credentials with anyone or write them down. University credentials should only be used to log into official university sites. Do not enter your credentials into any site that does not does not meet university branding standards or that looks suspicious (formatting flaws, unusual grammar), and email security@uark.edu immediately.  

If you receive a phishing email, do not click on any links, respond to the email or enter any personal information. Phishing emails should be reported using the "Report Message" button in Outlook. Below is a list of ways to help identify if an email is phishing:  

• Verify the sender's contact information and email address  

• A sense of urgency  

• Generic greeting, such as "Dear Customer,"   

• Spelling or grammatical errors   

• Suspicious links 

• View a real-world phishing example  

To increase your knowledge and understanding of the importance of cybersecurity, all university faculty and staff are required to complete annual security training in Blackboard by Dec. 22, 2023. This training will take approximately 45 minutes to complete and will help increase the university's overall security.  

For more information about cybersecurity, phishing or account management, please visit the IT Services website and view the Cybersecurity Checklist. If you believe you have been compromised by a phishing attack, please contact the IT Help Desk by chat or phone at (479)-575-2905.