February 20, 2008
The CalMail Team, IST
Universities all over the world, including UC Berkeley, are being targeted in the latest spear phishing scam emails.
Phishing is an illegitimate attempt to trick people to reveal sensitive information, such as passwords and credit-card or bank account numbers, by impersonating as someone trustworthy. Spear phishing is a highly targeted type of phishing that may be harder to identify.
This latest round of phishing emails claim to be sent from the university's email administrators, requesting verification of email accounts. The Internet Storm Center's Universities in the US being targeted in a Spear Phishing attack page shows an example of such an email.
CalMail and SNS have received reports of attempts targeting UC Berkeley. The CalMail team will never ask for your passwords! Never send sensitive information over email; email is not a secure form of communication.
If you receive an email you are not sure about, forward the email — don't reply — to an official email address you know. Forward the email to to reach the CalMail Consulting Team, or to to reach System and Network Security.
More Information:
If you have any questions, contact CalMail consulting, or SNS,
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