University students and staff have been specifically targeted in an e-mail phishing scam asking users to provide their University usernames and passwords, said Shirley Payne, Information Technology and Communication office director for security coordination and policy. Those who have received the message are asked to not open but rather to delete the message. The message appears to have been sent from a University account, but is not an actual request, Payne said.
“U.Va. will never email you asking for this information,” Payne said. “Such e-mails are an attempt to steal your private account information.”
Payne said her office is aware of the message and has posted a warning on the ITC home page. Officials have also issued an alert to IT support staff in administrative and academic departments, she noted.
“Both Gmail and Live@edu mail systems, as well as the mail systems managed by U.Va., use state-of-the-art technology to detect spam, including certain forms of scam messages,” Payne said. “Unfortunately, the technology does not exist to thwart all forms.”
Because some forms of spam are not detected, Payne said awareness of the threat and online security in general is vital. The University will also offer several security awareness events unrelated to this scam Oct. 22 and Oct. 30, she said.
—compiled by Thomas Madrecki
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