Everyone can fall victim to phishing or other types of attacks. It can be extremely discouraging. There are proper steps to take if you become a victim.
Immediate Actions
If you think you have clicked on something, you should not have or downloaded something by accident. These are immediate steps to take.
- Disconnect your device from the network. If it is your office PC, you need to simply unplug the Ethernet connection. It is typically a blue or black cable on the back of the PC. It has a tab on one side you will need to press then pull the cable out. If it is a phone or laptop you will need to turn off cellular and WIFI data. Disconnecting the device will cut off any direct control the attacker had on the device and will help prevent any spread from that device to other devices.
- Do NOT turn off the device. Turning off the device could damage potential indicators needed for investigation.
- Contact ITS! Please call ITS at 318-797-5221 and inform us of the attack. You will need to give as much detail as possible. Was it an email? Was it a website? Did something download? Was anything exposed?
- Consider changing passwords. You should not be using the same password for all your services but if you do, everything that uses that same password is now vulnerable.