Information Security and Covid-19 Scams

A message from Christopher Wentz, director/chief information security officer

As we continue our transition from on-campus to virtual work environments, we need to remain vigilant with our information security practices now more than ever. When working remotely, our computers are at greater risk as they no longer sit behind some of the protection offered while on campus. E-mail security and endpoint protection will continue working to keep YSU email and YSU devices protected. However, for that protection to continue, YSU-related communications must be sent using University email accounts to maintain message security.

Additionally, the FBI is expecting an increase in scam and phishing e-mail messages related to the Covid-19 stimulus bills. At YSU, our email filtering has already indicated increased activity and blocked several Covid-19 related scam messages. Please take an extra moment when opening, reading, and responding to any unusual or unexpected messages related to the current Covid-19 situation. “Bad actors” will use this as an opportunity to facilitate fraud, compromise accounts and steal health and personal data.