Phishing scams are attempts by hackers and cybercriminals to steal personal information or hijack computing resources.  Phishing scams work by pretending to be important notifications that claim something is wrong with your account and you have to take immediate action to fix it. The link provided in the email is intended to trick you into entering your password or other personal information.  Once you are tricked into providing this information, the attackers use your email account to send thousands of new phishing emails to other potential victims.

More than 200 CSU, Chico Students have fallen victim to phishing scams in the first two weeks of the semester. Because these emails are coming from compromised Chico State email accounts, they are impossible to block without blocking legitimate email. Information Resources is attempting to identify and shut down compromised accounts by analyzing network traffic, but we need your help. Please look very carefully at any email that is asking you to verify your account, or validate your information; it’s most likely a phishing email and should just be deleted.   If an email looks suspicious, delete it.

Remember, Chico State will never ask you for your password via email, and we never send official emails from student email accounts.

For more information about recognizing phishing scam emails please visit the following website:  http://www.csuchico.edu/isec/basics/spam-and-phishing.shtml.

Additional voluntary Information Security awareness videos are available for all employees here: SANS Securing the Human Security Training

If you believe that your account has been compromised or have questions, please contact IT Support Services at 898-HELP (4357) or by emailing itss@csuchico.edu and we’ll be glad to assist you.