Protect Your Identity

Technology continues to advance and improve with faster internet connections, high-definition streaming videos, social networking, and knowledge available to you at your fingertips. With all of this growth, the threat of identity theft and compromised accounts has also grown at a staggering rate. Hackers have gotten smarter and their tactics for gathering your account information have become more personal. We have all seen the emails that appear to be sent from a credible source stating that email server upgrades are being done or that banks are updating records and need you to reply back with your user account information, passwords, and social security number. Even Liberty University has become a victim of these types of social-hacking tactics through a series of emails that have been sent out over the past few months requesting this type of account information.

How does it happen?

Let’s say that email is sent out stating that server upgrades are being done and account information is needed from students at a university in California. A student of that university replies to the email with their account credentials. The hacker or individual that is carrying out this attack then logs in to the student’s account and begins sending out more spam to other universities (Liberty), businesses, and email accounts around the world. In doing so, they gain more account information and send out more messages. From one account, millions of email messages can be sent out in a short period of time. These types of attacks put a considerable strain on our network, while servers try to send out thousands upon thousands of messages. This delays the sending and receiving of your legitimate email.

What is Liberty doing to prevent this?

As previously stated, technology is always changing and growing, and so are the tactics of those carrying out these attacks. Unfortunately, there is no magic button for us to push to make this stop for good. Information Services’ Network Operations Center (NOC) monitors our network 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When a new account begins sending these types of emails to Liberty account holders, the sending address is “black-listed”, preventing them from emailing these types of attacks in the future. If a student replies to an email with account information, the NOC disables the account and the student is contacted by the HelpDesk to change their password. This prevents the account from being accessed by hackers and eliminates the strain on our servers from millions of emails being sent out from a compromised account.

The bottom line:

Liberty University will NEVER ask you for your password to your Liberty account. Any type of bank, university, or institution that really needs your account information already has it. When you receive these types of emails, delete them. Imagine a total stranger walking up to you on the street and asking for your home address, date of birth, and mother’s maiden name. Would you give it to them? Treat your email the same way.

Information Services is doing our part to help protect your security and maintain a network that is capable of letting you accomplish what you are here at Liberty University to accomplish. We will continue to adapt to new types of attacks and stand vigilant against hackers and those who mean you harm. Please do your part and protect your account and your identity.