December edition – Phishing (http://www.securingthehuman.org/newsletters/ouch/issues/OUCH-201512_en.pdf)

OUCH! is the world’s leading, free security awareness newsletter designed for the common computer user. Published every month and in multiple languages, each edition is carefully researched and developed by the SANS Securing The Human team, SANS instructor subject matter experts and team members of the community. Each issue focuses on and explains a specific topic and actionable steps people can take to protect themselves, their family and their organization.

You receive an email saying you must click a link or reply to verify your email account – or bank account – or mailing address. What should you do?

DOUBT IT AND DON’T RESPOND!

Hackers are aggressively targeting universities, including Denison, with waves of “phishing” emails designed to lure folks to provide their email usernames and passwords. With this information, the hackers can do anything in your email account that you can do. This includes:

• downloading all your contacts and sending them emails that appear to be from you.
• using your email account to send large volumes of emails all over the world.
• downloading your email messages.
• setting up a forward to send email messages you receive to another email account.
• deleting your email messages.
• gaining access to other accounts for which you use the same username and password.
• and more…

Unfortunately, several Denison email accounts were compromised this week as a result of “phishing” emails pretending to be from the “Help desk” or “Admin”.

To learn more about how to recognize phishing emails and what to do if you think you may have responded to a phishing email, please visit MyDenison and use the search box in the top right corner to search for “phishing” and select “Beware of Phishing Emails!” in the results list.

If you have any questions, please contact the ITS Help Desk at 740-587-6395 or helpdesk@denison.edu.

Update – 11/24 5:00 p.m. The replacement processors were installed and system came right up in its original configuration. Services restored.

Update – 11/23 replacement processors will be added to Consort server on Tuesday 11/24 at 4:30 p.m.

Update – 11/21 11:23 p.m. Vendor cannot get parts delivered until Tuesday. Time is yet to be determined. Then the new processors will be added.

Update – 11/21 10:32 p.m. Vendor determined that the system will run with half of its processors. This suggests one or both of the removed processors may be faulty. New processors have been ordered.

Update – 11/21 9:26 p.m. Second set of parts arrived. Parts installed. Same problem persists.

Update – 11/21 6:02 p.m. Parts arrived. Parts installed. Same problem persists. System cannot boot.

11/21 2:00 p.m. – Vendor support indicates a hardware module failure. System cannot boot. Expecting parts replacement this evening.

11/21 11 a.m. Consort Library services not reachable.

The network maintenance work has been completed and all enterprise services have been re-started.

Due to ITS performing network maintenance on Saturday 11/21/15 – most enterprise systems will be unavailable from 5:00 AM-12:00 PM.  This will include:  Banner, Self-Service Banner, My Denison, e-Procurement and other related systems.  

This post will be updated when the work is complete. If you experience any enterprise systems issues after this time, please contact the ITS Help Desk at 740-587-6395 or helpdesk@denison.edu.