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Zoom not recommended for meetings

Friday, May 8th, 2020

Over the past few weeks we’ve had to find new ways of connecting with people. Zoom has become the popular choice for anything from online exercise classes to quizzes. While it is perfectly fine for personal use, we do not recommend Zoom for your official meetings with colleagues or students. Although it’s simple to set up and free, there are multiple security risks.

Why take the risk if Microsoft Teams can do the same safely?

To help you make an informed decision we prepared a comparison table of Adobe Connect, Teams and Zoom. The comparison table shows the strengths and weaknesses of each product and the areas marked in red are serious weaknesses. Do not use a product if any area is marked red. 

SUNStream is based on Adobe Connect and runs on a server on campus which is fully integrated with SUNLearn. It will be zero-rated to allow students to access the system without data costs. This is the preferred streaming platform for lecture use and is particularly suited for larger classed as it uses a very structured approach. Adobe Connect is also fully integrated with SUNLearn.  

Teams has become the University standard for meetings and is also suitable for classes of up to 250 participants. Teams is not just a streaming service; it is an excellent collaboration platform. Teams has also been integrated into SUNLearn, allowing lecturers to use class groups within Teams. Unfortunately it will not be zero-rated soon, since it is running on the Microsoft commercial cloud. 

*  NB. If you record your meetings in teams, keep in mind that the recording will be available to everyone who attended the meeting – even if just for a short while as a guest. Don’t use your current meeting to continue a different meeting, for example with a smaller group. If you do this everyone who attended the initial meeting will be able to listen to your recording.  Rather create a separate one. More on privacy and security in Microsoft Teams.

Zoom has become very popular largely due to its ease of use – but therein lies the risk: security and ease of use are on the opposites of the scale. Zoom places the burden on the users to protect themselves. Two South African ministers have found themselves in trouble when using Zoom, the latest being reported 6 May 2020 in a so-called “Zoombombing” incident. (also see below what “Zoombombing” is) The University regards Zoom as a risk, and will not support its use.  

Also read security expert, Basie von Solms’, article on protecting your video calls on LitNet (unfortunately only available in Afrikaans) and Computerworld’s article on the do’s and don’ts of video conferencing security.

 

Zoombombing, Zoom-bombing or Zoom raiding[1] is the unwanted intrusion into a video conference call by an individual, causing disruption. The term became popularized in 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic forced many people to stay at home and videoconferencing was used on a large scale by businesses, schools, and social groups. The term is associated with and derived from the name of the Zoom videoconferencing software program but it has also been used to refer to the phenomenon on other video conferencing platforms.[2][3][4]

SOURCE: Wikipedia

 

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Phishing attack from compromised staff account with attached “Secure Message”

Wednesday, May 6th, 2020

With most students and personnel all working from home during the national lockdown, and with the reduced security (and watchfulness) of home computers and personnel/students in their home environment, and with many forced to use unfamiliar means of communication and collaboration like Teams, Zoom, Skype and Skype For Business, the environment is ripe for exploitation by phishers.

The following e-mail (with an infected attachment) is making its rounds at the moment from  a staff email.

If you get an email that look like the following do not open or respond to it. It is quite likely that the personnel doesn’t even know his account is compromised.

Please be careful when opening up attachments “sent” by colleagues especially if they are unannounced or the e-mail makes you feel a bit suspicious. Always trust your instincts.

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“Sextortion” scams

Tuesday, April 28th, 2020

There has been a resurgence of “sextortion” phishing scams recently but with a slight twist.

“Extortion phishing” or “sextortion” is an aggressive form of a phishing attack that targets potential victims in an e-mail demanding bitcoin in exchange for a promise of non-disclosure of an alleged sexual offence.

The aim of these sextortion e-mails is clear – to force their intended victims to pay up for their silence, or the footage will be shared on social networks. Ultimately this is a typically insidious scam that could easily snare an unsuspecting user.

This variant however has an added twist, in that the phishing scammers are displaying a stolen password (from other websites) that their victims use, to grab their victim’s attention.

It is usually those other websites (e,g,. hotmail, Instagram, Paycity or Facebook) that hackers use to gain access to our data, so changing those passwords are very important.

As in the example below we received earlier this week:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Several students and personnel say that they have also received similar phishing e-mails, and that password that they had used were displayed in the subject line. They were all concerned that their network account was under attack.

If you receive such a mail, there is little danger to you UNLESS you

  1. respond to the sender
  2. still use that same password for other non-university accounts and use a variation of that password.

If it is an old password that they are displaying, then the danger to you is relatively small, but if you are still using it on a different website or application please change and update immediately.

[ARTICLE BY DAVID WILES]

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Phishing emails, SMS and WhatApp messages offering payment relief during lock down

Wednesday, April 1st, 2020

A new potential threat has emerged as we enter the 2nd week of the national lock down and facing the beginning of the new month with bills  to be paid.

Phishers are already targeting the South African public with so-called COVID-19 phishing scams, attaching malware infected attachments and encouraging victims to click on a link to download “important information about the COVID-19 pandemic”.

However this week’s scam involves emails, SMS and WhatsApp messages being sent with information about “Payment Relief” from South African banks.

While it is true that most major South African banks are offering payment relief measures to their customers, phishing scammers have grasped this opportunity and adapted their tactics to send emails with content like the following:

“Dear Valued Customer,

“At ABSA Bank, we realise that this is a difficult time for our customers and businesses whose financial means are being negatively affected. After careful consideration and engagements with The Minister of Finance the, Hon. Tito Titus Mboweni, we are pleased to offer you, as a valued customer, a once-off access to a comprehensive relief programme. Please click on the following link to see if you qualify for payment relief.

VERIFY YOUR ACCOUNT

This is a once-off offer made to selected customers and will close at midnight on 2 April 2020.”

This is one such e-mail, but similar scams with forged identities from other South African banks, as well as Whatsapp and SMS messages will also surface. Note the specific deadline and the call to verify your account. Your bank won’t ever ask you to verify your account by email and certainly won’t give you a day to make such a decision. 

If you need to make use of a relief programme, rather contact your bank directly than reply to an online message. 

Here is a collection of the current verified details for payment relief from South Africa’s 4 major banks:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 [ARTICLE BY DAVID WILES]

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Phishing email with subject “SUNCOM”

Wednesday, February 5th, 2020

An email from a sun.ac.za address with the subject “SAFECOM – 5 / FEBRUARY / 2020” has been sent to staff and students. The email asks you to open a message received from “SUNCOM” (also see image below)

This is not a legitimate email, but a phishing attempt which will lead you to a fake website.

By clicking on links and providing your information, you give criminals access to your personal information and your accounts. If you think your account or device has been compromised or you notice suspicious activity:

  • Immediately change your password on www.sun.ac.za/password.
  • Contact the IT Service Desk by logging a request or calling 808 4367.
  • More information is available on our blog and Twitter.

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