It is a reality in today’s world that cyber hackers are constantly trying to gain access to computer networks. Niagara College is not immune to these attempts.
To strengthen our defence against phishing emails, the College’s Senior Management Team has approved two important initiatives:
- Mandatory cyber-security training for College employees; and
- Simulated phishing exercises
In the coming weeks, all employees will receive an email invitation to view a short “Introduction to Phishing” training video. The link will also be posted on the ITS website (ITS.niagaracollege.ca) in case you do not trust the link in the email. After viewing the video, you will be asked to complete a short two-question test.
Simulated phishing exercises will also be conducted throughout the year, in which employees will randomly receive emails that closely approximate actual phishing attempts. Failing these tests by clicking the links in these emails or otherwise interacting with them will require mandatory additional cyber-security training and retesting.
Additional learning modules will also be introduced that that are specific to the College, related to behaviour, policy or compliance requirements.
Robust cyber-security training has been proven to reduce the risk of successful phishing attacks. The training will help you recognize malicious emails and deal with them appropriately. This knowledge and experience can be applied not only in your work at Niagara College, but in all aspects of your online activity.
It is important to always be on guard as phishing attempts are the most prevalent cyber-security threats affecting Niagara College. Phishing is a fraudulent attempt by a third party to obtain sensitive information – like usernames, passwords and credit card details – by posing as a trustworthy entity in an email sent to the recipient. Users can be asked to click on a link, which can immediately download malware or ransomware, be taken to a website that seems legitimate and be requested to sign in, or be asked to provide your login credentials in some way.
Phishing represents one of the largest cyber-security risks to organizations and individuals because it is easy to execute in high volume and it targets people instead of machines. Falling victim to one of these phishing attempts can threaten not only an individual employee’s information and security, but that of the entire college community. It is important that all our staff are trained and prepared to handle these threats properly.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the ITS Service Desk at ext. 7642 or [email protected].
