{"id":10968,"date":"2019-03-06T15:23:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-06T20:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/virginiawestern.staging.tempurl.host\/iet-services\/?p=10968"},"modified":"2019-03-06T15:23:00","modified_gmt":"2019-03-06T20:23:00","slug":"warning-increased-risk-of-cyber-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.virginiawestern.edu\/iet-services\/warning-increased-risk-of-cyber-attacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Warning: Increased Risk of Cyber Attacks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There has been a significant increase in cyber-attacks in and around the Commonwealth of Virginia and some VCCS institutions have recently suffered security breaches.  These most recent attacks target tax information, W2s, banking information, and direct deposit payroll information<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The IRS has issued the following warning which contains some good information about steps you can take to prevent becoming a victim of these types of attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/www.irs.gov\/newsroom\/irs-security-summit-partners-warn-tax-professionals-of-fake-payroll-direct-deposit-and-wire-transfer-emails\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Due to large student and email user populations, higher education institutions are often targets for of online attacks<\/strong>.  Although we have many protection mechanisms in place to keep our email and other systems secure, please do keep yourself safe by following our secure password instructions<\/a>.  If you feel, for any reason, that your account has been compromised, immediately reset your password and contact the Help Desk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VWCC Faculty\/staff can reset their password using our Self-Service Portal<\/a>. In order to use the Self-Service portal to reset your password or unlock your account, you must first enroll in the system. This must be done before<\/strong> your password expires and instructions can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students can reset their password by using the “Forgot Password” link on the MyVWCC login page or by calling the Help Desk at (540) 857-7354.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As always, carefully scrutinize any email, link, or attachment before opening or responding to it and remember that the IET Help Desk or any valid organization like the IRS or any of your financial institutions will never<\/strong> ask you to click on a link to verify your user ID, password or account information.  Contact the IET Help Desk or your supervisor if you are concerned about any suspicious emails or if you have clicked on a questionable link.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More information about known scams and cyber-attacks can be found at the following links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n