Social Engineering

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What is Social Engineering?
Social engineering is a type of cyberattack that uses psychological manipulation to convince victims into performing actions or disclosing information.

Beware of Imposters!
An attacker may pretend to be someone else, either by phone, in-person, or via email, in order to solicit financial or personal details, or to ask that you take some action, such as completing a financial transaction or providing remote access to a computer.

It is common for attackers to impersonate tech support, charitable organizations, government agencies, banks/financial institutions, even your friends/family/coworkers!

Remember, the “From:” in an email is just like a return address on a postcard and can be forged. Be wary of interactions from people you think you know asking for gift-cards, passwords, or other personal information.  Also, be wary of any free offers, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is!

Unprecedented times…
Fraudulent activity is up 600% since COVID-19!

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Who Can I Contact?

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To report a Cybersecurity Incident, please contact:

Simmons Technology ServiceDesk
[email protected]

For more information about Information Security at Simmons including consultation on alignment of business processes with our Information Security policies please contact:

Richard Phung
Information Security Analyst
[email protected]

References
https://www.cisa.gov/national-cyber-security-awareness-month
https://enterprise.verizon.com/resources/reports/dbir/
https://www.ibm.com/security/data-breach
https://www.varonis.com/2019-data-risk-report/

Technology Support Support Options for Fall

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As we all prepare for the Fall semester, Simmons Technology Services & Support is continuing to adapt our services to support you during these challenging times. We will continue our extended phone support hours through the Fall Semester and provide 1:1 in-person support by appointment. 

The Service Desk provides remote support via phone and email. Our extended phone support hours are:

  • Monday – Thursday: 7:30 AM – 9:00 PM
  • Friday: 7:30 AM – 7:30 PM
  • Saturday: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Support analysts can assist with a wide variety of tasks over the phone. Analysts can use a remote support tool, with your permission, to see your device remotely and troubleshoot problems that are hard to describe or resolve.

The Technology Support Center is available to assist you in person by appointment only. The appointments are scheduled in advance and intended to assist with issues such as a computer repair, replacement, or other problems that cannot be done remotely. Safety during these appointments are a top priority. We will be using PPE, maintaining safe distance, and keeping the appointment brief to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19. Appointments can be made by contacting the Service Desk.
As always, you can call us for support at 617-521-2222, email us at [email protected], or visit our website at https://servicedesk.simmons.edu for