A new phishing simulation aims to help the Brock community recognize, avoid and report potential phishing attacks. Brock students and employees are encouraged to test their phishing identification skills as part of the University’s month-long ‘Level Up’ cybersecurity awareness campaign.
A new phishing simulation created by Brock University Information Technology Services (ITS) will send realistic phishing emails to enrolled participants in a controlled manner throughout the year.
Phishing is a tactic cybercriminals use to steal information via fraudulent emails and text messages posing as legitimate. Messages entice recipients to click on a link that will compromise their personal information and data.
The phishing simulation was created as one of several tools to educate the Brock community about the seriousness of phishing emails and equip employees and students with the knowledge, experience and skills to recognize signs of phishing attacks and take appropriate action against them.
Any information collected as part of the simulation will not be recorded. Anyone who participates in the phishing simulation will be entered into a draw to win a prize.
Brock community members can visit the Cybersecurity Awareness website to enrol in the phishing simulation; view personalized phishing simulation statistics, such as the number of phishing emails received as part of the simulation; and complete a short phishing training program, which finishes with a quiz that asks participants to identify several emails as phishing or legitimate.
Common signs of phishing
Recognizing the signs of a phishing email could prevent a phishing attack. Some common signs of phishing are highlighted and numbered in the phishing email sample below.
- Unrecognizable email address
- Urgent request with a deadline
- Spelling or grammar errors
- Strange URLs or links requiring to click
- Fake Brock logo
Additional signs of phishing are addressed in a Brock News article from November.
Brock ITS advises the Brock community to report any email that seems suspicious, even if it looks realistic. Suspicious emails can be forwarded to itsecurity@brocku.ca
