With the end of the semester approaching and holiday shopping in full swing, Information Technology Services is encouraging Huskers to be on high alert when it comes to phishing scams.

In November, more than 130,000 spam emails were blocked across the University of Nebraska system. Scam emails are especially common during the holidays, as attackers will take advantage of increased online traffic and may pattern their messages based on legitimate emails.

Always be skeptical of a suspicious email. These messages may appear to come from a university email address and ask for personal information. Watch for grammatical errors and ask yourself if you would normally receive that type of email from the person or organization that sent it. If you do receive a suspicious email, report it to the ITS Security Team by emailing its-sec-ops@nebraska.edu.

Two-Factor Authentication

Remember that many university systems utilize two-factor authentication, provided by Duo, which adds an extra layer of protection for online systems. However, it’s important that you never approve a Duo notification unless you are certain you initiated the security check. If you receive a notification from Duo and are uncertain that came from you, hit reject in the Duo app.

Educate Yourself

Cybersecurity training is available to all students, faculty and staff in Bridge. ITS encourages everyone to complete training on phishing so that you’re mindful of what these types of emails look like and what you should/shouldn’t do if you receive suspicious messaging.

Additional security tips:

• Do not respond to any suspicious emails.

• If you receive an email asking you to review a document or click on a link, check with the sender of the email first, preferably via phone, to make sure it is a valid request.

• Verify who sent an email by hovering your mouse over the sender’s name.

• Never accept cash or checks from someone you don’t know or from an unknown organization.