University Communications » Internal Communications » TrailBlazer » TrailBlazer Extra 09-09-2011

Be Aware of Suspicious 9/11 Emails

The UT Arlington Information Security Office has received notice from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center about a possible increase in malicious email campaigns using "9/11" in subject lines, attachments, and content.

Malicious users seeking to exploit the 10-year anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks likely will distribute phishing emails on or around Sept. 11, 2011. UT Arlington faculty, staff, and students should be aware of these attempts and avoid opening messages with attachments and/or subject lines related to 9/11.

It is important to promote awareness of malicious cyber activity commonly associated with high-profile events or anniversaries of significant events. UT Arlington faculty, staff, and students could become recipients of malicious activity, most commonly in the form of socially engineered phishing emails. Phishing is an attempt by an individual or group to solicit personal information from unsuspecting users by employing social engineering techniques.

These emails will appear to originate from a reputable source, with the email subject closely aligned to the event and usually of interest to the recipient. In most cases, the email will contain a malicious attachment or link with a subject name relevant to the event. If opened, the attachment or link may launch malware into the user's system.

What You Can Do

·     Be cautious about all email communications you receive. Official email from the University always will originate from a uta.edu email address.
·     If it appears to be a phishing communication, do not respond. Delete it. You also can forward it to security@uta.edu.
·     Do not click on any links listed in the email message, and do not open any attachments contained in suspicious email.
·     Do not enter personal information in a pop-up screen. Legitimate companies, agencies, and organizations do not ask for personal information via pop-up screens.

For more information, contact the Information Security Office at 817-272-5487 or security@uta.edu.