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Recently some staff have been caught off-guard by emails from cyber criminals trying to exploit them by threatening to release sensitive video material. The sender of this email does not have any video material, but tries to be psychologically manipulative and convince the receiver that he does. Unfortunately he also refers to the email receiver’s sun email address and a password they used at some stage.
This is not because the university’s network has been compromised. It happens because staff and students also use their sun address in a personal capacity. We highly discourage you to do this. In this case someone used their sun address on a website, for example Ster Kinekor, whose database was, at some stage, compromised. Subsequently cyber criminals gained access to the username and password. This gave them access to the person’s Ster Kinekor’s (or whichever site it was) information, but also – and this is more dangerous – to the person’s potential information everywhere he reused the email address and specific password. This includes Stellenbosch University sites and applications, including the financial and HR system. Of course, it the password has been changed over time, it will be useless. However, this remains an enormous risk.
Please note the following:
- Never use your sun email address for anything except for University applications. If you need to send personal emails, rather consider getting a free email account, for example, Gmail. Separating your business and personal activities is better security practice in the long run and will protect you and the University network.
- Keep in mind that according to the Electronic Communication Policy which all staff and students agree to when they register their usernames each year, you’re not allowed to use your sun address for personal communication and that the University owns any communication sent via email. If needed, University management has the right to access any material in your email or on your computer.
- If you receive an email as mentioned above, for safety sake, go and change your login details and passwords on any sites where you are registered with your @sun address.
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US-personeel is onlangs onkant gevang met dreigende e-posse van kuberkriminele. Spesifiek e-posse met die doel om die ontvanger te oortuig dat die kuberkrimineel sensitiewe videomateriaal van die ontvanger het waarmee hy afgepers kan word. Natuurlik het die persoon nie sulke materiaal nie, maar dit lei tot paniek by die e-pos ontvanger. Om verdere paniek te veroorsaak verwys die persoon ook na ʼn wagwoord wat die ontvanger voorheen saam met sy sun-adres gebruik het.
Insidente soos die gebeur nie omdat dit Universiteit se netwerk gekompromitteer is nie. Dit vind plaas omdat personeel en studente sun-adresse ook vir persoonlike doeleindes gebruik op potensieel onveilige webwerwe. Ons wil aanbeveel dat dit ten alle koste vermy word.
Met die strikroof-poging het iemand hulle sun-adres gebruik op ʼn eksterne webwerf (Ster-Kinekor, Facebook, ens.) en op kuberkrakers het toegang tot die eksterne webwerf se databasis verkry. In die proses het hulle toegang gekry tot e-posadresse en wagwoorde, onder andere sun-adresse. Alhoewel die persoon se inligting nie noodwendig krities is nie, is dit wel gevaarlik indien die persoon nie net dieselfde sun-adres gebruik het nie, maar ook dieselfde wagwoord as op die Universiteit se platforms. Sodoende het ʼn kuberkraker dalk toegang tot die Universiteit se netwerk, webwerwe en toepassings, insluitende die finansiële en Menslike Hulpbronne-platforms.
Indien dit ʼn verouderde wagwoord is en intussen verander is, sal dit nie kan misbruik word nie. Die risiko bly egter steeds hoog.
Onthou asb:
- Moet nooit jou sun e-posadres vir enigiets anders gebruik behalwe Universiteitsplatforms nie. Indien jy persoonlike e-posse wil stuur of erens wil aanteken, kry ʼn gratis e-pos adres, byvoorbeeld Gmail. Op die lange duur is ʼn duidelike onderskeid tussen werk- en persoonlike aktiwiteite beter sekuriteitspraktyk en sal dit jou en die Universiteit beskerm.
- Volgens die Elektroniese Kommunikasiebeleid, waarvoor alle personeel en studente instem elke jaar wanneer gebruikersname heraktiveer word, word jy nie toegelaat om jou sun-adres vir persoonlike kommunikasie te gebruik nie. Alle kommunikasie vanaf ʼn sun-adres behoort aan die Universiteit en indien nodig, het die Universiteitsbestuur die reg tot toegang op enige materiaal op jou toestelle.
- Indien jy e-posse ontvang wat verwys na ʼn ou of bestaande wagwoord, verander asb. jou kontakdetails op die webwerwe waarvoor jy @sun gebruik het, sowel as jou wagwoord.
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Tags: phishing