Historically, Internet criminals leverage our tax season to launch various campaigns to steal confidential data and resources. In the context of the massive Equifax data breach that was announced last that potentially affected 143 million U.S. consumers (source: https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com), the TTU IT Division strongly recommends that faculty, staff, and students be vigilant in protecting institutional and personal data and information resources. Recently, TTUHSC discovered that criminals likely used data stolen from Equifax to pose as TTUHSC employees, and petitioned the Texas Workforce Commission for unemployment pay. Be on the lookout for any unexpected communication of this type and report suspicious activity involving the Texas Workforce Commission to TTU Human Resources at hr.talent.management@ttu.edu or 742-3650.
The TTU IT Division has the following measures in place to protect confidential and sensitive data:
- 2-Factor Authentication: Prevents unauthorized account access by sending a code to the account owner when their account is accessed from a new location.
Note: 2-Factor Authentication is currently enabled on Texas Tech’s Direct Deposit, eRaider Account Manager, and W-2 Wage and Tax Statement pages. You can enable this feature for all eRaider-authenticated pages by following the instructions at https://www.askit.ttu.edu/2fa.
- Symantec Endpoint Protection: Capable of detecting and removing most keylogger software and malware. You may download Symantec at no cost by visiting eRaider.ttu.edu and selecting “Software Download” on the left menu.
- Microsoft Advanced Threat Protection: ATP checks links and attachments contained in all incoming email to determine if they are malicious. Additional information about ATP:
- As part of protecting users from malicious websites, links will appear slightly different:
- Links will be prepended with https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url= when you hold your mouse pointer over them.
- When you click a link, the URL will be checked against a known list of malicious sites. If the site is known to be malicious (i.e. the link could be asking you to provide login credentials), you will be notified by one of the following messages:
- If known to be malicious by ATP, the message will read “This website has been classified as malicious.”
- If known to be malicious by TTU, the message will read “This website has been blocked per your organization’s URL policy.”
- Otherwise you will continue to the original site. This scan is almost instantaneous, and you may not notice.
- ATP will also scan all email attachments, and remove those that are determined to be malicious. Messages containing large attachments may be delayed slightly, typically less than one minute.
As a reminder; the TTU IT Division recommends the following cybersecurity practices to protect yourself and TTU resources from this and other email scams:
- Do not click on links contained within an email unless you are certain of the sender’s identity and expecting the information;
- Do not open attachments unless you are certain of the sender’s identity and expecting the information;
- Delete and do not reply to any suspicious or suspect emails;
- Update your desktop, laptop, and/or mobile device anti-virus software; and
- Keep current on critical system updates:
In addition, if you have confirmed or believe your information is compromised, the following options are available:
- Enroll with a credit monitoring service.
- Enable account alerts for important accounts, e.g. credit card accounts.
- Monitor your bank and credit card statements closely for suspicious activity.
- If you find evidence that your identity has been stolen, report it immediately to https://www.identitytheft.gov.
- Consider registering for fraud alerts with all credit bureaus (Equifax, Innovis, Experian, and TransUnion). These free alerts must be renewed every 90 days. An extended fraud alert can be set for a longer time period. With fraud alerts, you will be contacted before any credit applications are approved.
- Alternatively, consider utilizing credit freezes with each of the credit bureaus. If you intend to apply for a loan or credit card, you must provide the PIN given to you during the credit freeze setup process. This service may require a small fee.
- At least once a year, obtain and review your free annual credit reports from https://www.annualcreditreport.com.
- The Federal Trade Commission recommends filing your tax returns early to help prevent fraudulent filings.
We encourage you to be vigilant in practicing cybersecurity. You can find additional cybersecurity tips online at http://www.cybersecurity.ttu.edu. For more information or questions, please contact IT Help Central at (806) 742-4357 (HELP) or via email at ithelpcentral@ttu.edu.
