The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have seen an increase in highly impactful ransomware attacks occurring on holidays and weekends—when offices are normally closed. From January to July 31, 2021, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 2,084 ransomware complaints with over $16.8M in losses; that is a 20% increase in reported losses compared to the same time frame in 2020.
With Labor Day on Monday, the Division of Information Technology is asking everyone to stay vigilant. Immediate actions you can take at home or on campus include:
- Do not click on suspicious email links. Phishing attacks use email or malicious websites to infect your machine with malware and viruses to collect personal and financial information.
- Use strong passwords. Ensure strong passwords and challenge responses. Passwords should not be reused across multiple accounts or stored on the system.
