Skip to main content

Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Wrap Up

October 30, 2023

Thank you for making MCC’s 1st Annual Cybersecurity Awareness Month a success! We have one last event today and one more 2023 Key Behavior to cover:  recognize and report phishing. 

MCC Event: Today, Monday, October 30th

  • Who:  Open to students, faculty, and staff
  • What:  ISS – Cybersecurity Team Event
  • When:  Today – Monday, October 30th from:  1130am – 130pm
  • Where:  Table outside the café, of the LTC building

Did you miss our event on October 2nd? Come see us today to check if your email has been compromised (pwned). Or, try to spot the phishing email. We still have a QR discount code, for helpful tools, candy, and fun giveaways!     

2023 Key Behaviors

  • Enable Multi-Factor Authentication
  • Use Strong Passwords and a Password Manager
  • Update Software
  • Recognize and Report Phishing 

Cybercriminals like to go phishing, but you don’t have to take the bait.

Phishing is when criminals use fake emails, social media posts, or direct messages (DMs) with the goal of luring you to click on a bad link or download a malicious attachment. Clicking on a link or file can hand your personal information over to cybercriminals or install malware onto your device.

No need to fear your inbox. With some knowledge, you can outsmart the phishers every day. 

Recognize a Phishing Attempt

Remember the signs of a phishing email can be very subtle. It is important to review (take 4 seconds) and ensure an email is legit to avoid falling for it. We have discussed ways to recognize phishing attempts in previous IT Cybersecurity Newsletters – hopefully, these sound familiar.  

  • Does it contain an offer that’s too good to be true?
  • Does it include language that’s urgent, alarming, or threatening?
  • Is it poorly crafted writing riddled with misspellings and bad grammar?
  • Is the greeting ambiguous or very generic?
  • Does it include requests to send personal information?
  • Does it stress an urgency to click on an unfamiliar hyperlink or attachment?
  • Is it a strange or abrupt business request?
  • Does the sender’s email address match the company it’s coming from? Look for little misspellings like pavpal.com (instead of paypal.com) or anazon.com (instead of amazon.com).

I see a phishing email. What do I do? 

Don’t worry; the hard part is recognizing the email is fake. If you are at MCC, and the email came from your work/student email, report it to helpdesk@mclennan.edu as quickly as possible.

If the email came to your personal email, don’t do what it says. Do not click on any links – even the unsubscribe link – or reply back to the email. Use the delete button.

Remember, DON’T CLICK ON LINKS, JUST DELETE. 

Summary of Cybersecurity Best Practices

The month is ending, but that doesn’t mean cybersecurity best practices should end. Cyberattacks are possible all year round. Remember these best practices to help keep you cyber safe today and every day.

  1. Create long, unique, and complex passwords for every account.
  2. Do not reuse passwords. 
  3. Use two-step authentication and a password manager.
  4. Setup automatic software updates.
  5. Only download software from a verified source or your device’s official app store.
  6. Do not fall for pop-up windows, urgently demanding you download a software update.
  7. Routinely check and update your device/apps either:  monthly (minimum) or weekly (best).
  8. Recognize phishing attempts; take at least 4 seconds to review and ensure an email is legit.
  9. If you see a phishing email, remember:  DON’T CLICK ON LINKS, JUST DELETE.
  10. Report phishing attempts ASAP. 

QR Discount Code for Password Manager

Remembering all my passwords is so hard! This is where a password manger comes into play. This is similar to a vault with all of your passwords in one place. You only need to remember the vault combination to open and access all of your passwords.

Dashlane is discounting their password manager, for the month of October, for all MCC students, faculty, and staff. The QR code is 50% off the first year of service (regular cost is $60/ year).

Scan the QR code with your phone and enter code: mcl50 (Lowercase “L”). You must sign up by October 31, 2023, in order for the discount to apply.  

Get Social

Do you have any tips or tricks? Share and tag your posts: 

  • #BeCyberSmart
  • #StaySafeOnline
Back to top