Jeremy Sharp - Tech Director
As the director of technology, one of my tasks is to ensure that our school network is kept safe and secure. The biggest threat to any security system is the end user. If one of the people on a network gives out secure information, then the network is compromised.
The way that this plays out most often is through the use of phishing attacks. If you have not heard of phishing, it is the practice of sending a request (usually email) that looks like a legitimate request from a known company or person that asks you to enter secure information. Often it is a request to confirm or verify your username and password. Some phishing attempts are so poorly done they are laughable, but most are fairly sophisticated and look very legitimate.
Two big things to watch for are urgency and the sender’s address. If the request is asking you to act quickly, you need to really consider its validity. There are very few times you need to act quickly to secure your information, and in those cases, the request will almost always come in a form you have pre-arranged. Your bank will most likely call you and simply alert you so that you have to call them. Secondly, make sure the sender is from an address you know. If the request claims to be from Amazon but the sender’s address isn’t simply person@amazon.com then you should be suspicious. This isn’t always a giveaway but is often the case. Finally, if you are unsure if the request is legitimate, don’t click on any link in the request but instead, go directly to the actual company’s site and log into your account that way. If there is an issue, you will know immediately. The more you work to keep your information secure by not giving it out to bad actors, the less you will have to worry about your identity being compromised.