Go With Passphrases

March 27th, Tip of the Week  | Passphrases are among the strongest version of password you can use and often the easiest to remember and type. Simply use random words or an entire sentence for your password, such as “Honey rain beach lost” The longer your passphrase, the stronger it is. Learn more about W&L’s passphrase requirements.

Targeted Ransomware Attacks

March 13th, Tip of the Week  | Colleges and universities continue to be targets of ransomware attacks and phishing emails are the primary method/technique used by bad actors to gain access to internal systems. Disruptions have affected instructional tools, wireless connections and single sign-on websites. Stolen data can include both personal and financial information. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to be cautious of external messages and unusual requests. To view the most recent phish emails targeting the W&L community, please check out the Phish Alert page.

Tax Season Phishing Campaigns Are Ramping Up

March 8th, Tip of the Week  | Beware of threat actors attempting to use tax season to target you with a potential refund. Cofense is reporting that attackers have been using Adobe file share as method to distribute phishing campaings with a messages that invite potential victims to “review and sign” a document to release their supposed tax refund. As always, we recommend you exercise caution with all incoming email messages, especially when pressured into an urgent or time-sensitive response.

If you’re unsure about the safety of a particular email source, please contact the ITS Helpdesk at X4357 or help@wlu.edu for assistance.