Explore the latest news and trends  

Sign up for our weekly security newsletter


Be the first to receive important updates on security





Send

York University Students Become Target of a Phishing Scam

According to recent publication by NOUSE york university on June 18, 2008, students of York University are being targeted with a phishing e-mail.

According to reports received, students at the York University received the scam e-mail in the second week of June 2008 that posed to arrive from the 'York.ac.uk Team.'

The e-mail message asked the recipient to furnish his/her private details so that his/her account could be verified. Among the sought private details, the e-mail asked for the students' username and password used for university Webmail.

Following the incident, Joanne Casey, Information Officer at the University, dispatched an e-mail to all departments of the university outlining the necessary steps to be taken. She said that the University's Computing Service never requests for any user's password, username etc. through e-mail and no other established organization should also make such a request, as reported by NOUSE york university on June 18, 2008.

According to the analysts of computer security, phishing is generally associated with criminal and fraudulent attempts to obtain sensitive information like bank details. Further, in the phishing incidences, phishers distribute bulk e-mails targeting as many recipients as possible in anticipation that at least some recipients, however, less in number would reply with the desired information.

Meanwhile, Casey instructed the York University students not to respond to the phishing e-mail and in case such a message arrived in their inbox, they must delete it immediately.

Commenting to Nouse, a computer scientist from the second year said that it is an odd that the fraudsters are trying to capture their Webmail details that aren't exactly priceless data, as reported by NOUSE york university on June 18, 2008.

In similar news, another phishing scam hit the students at the Concordia University in the second week of June 2008, when phishers distributed bulk messages to the University's students instructing them to provide their personal information including usernames and passwords.

In this case too, the Concordia University replied similarly that it would never request its students to disclose any of their private details especially via e-mail. Thus, the e-mail reaching the Concordia University students was nothing but a phishing fraud.

Related article: York Netizens Being Scammed for Financial Details

ยป SPAMfighter News - 7/4/2008

3 simple steps to update drivers on your Windows PCSlow PC? Optimize your Slow PC with SLOW-PCfighter!Email Cluttered with Spam? Free Spam Filter!

Dear Reader

We are happy to see you are reading our IT Security News.

We do believe, that the foundation for a good work environment starts with fast, secure and high performing computers. If you agree, then you should take a look at our Business Solutions to Spam Filter & Antivirus for even the latest version of Exchange Servers - your colleagues will appreciate it!

Go back to previous page
Next