Last week, on November 12th, the PrISM team conducted their monthly phishing prevention workshop. Here are key takeaways and a walk through of example case studies.
Recent Phishing Tactics
Phishing emails can come in many different disguises, from sophisticated deception to obvious fraud. Recent examples include:
- HR- and payroll-themed emails requesting credentials
- Fake MFA approval prompts
- Account verification notices
- “Click Here to Review Your Report” prompts
Phishing Example 1: Account Verification
You receive a non-UBC email on your phone claiming to be from Qualtrics asking you to complete a two-step verification within 48 hours or lose account access. You are familiar with Qualtrics, but suspicious of the request. What can you do?
- Don’t take action on your phone. Review the email on a computer to inspect sender details.
- Go directly to official websites. Think before you click. Visit the official website and log in to take action, instead of clicking links.
Phishing Example 2: HR Benefits Change
An email that claims to be from Human Resources requests credentials to view a change to your benefits. You want to investigate but are suspicious of the change. What can you do?
- Check the sender address. Upon investigation, you read the email was sent from <familyleisure.com>. Emails from non-UBC domains are a common warning sign.
- Know and verify the source. All legitimate Workday related messages come from <noreply@workday.svc.ubc.ca>.
What else can I do to protect myself?
- Never approve MFA prompts you didn’t initiate.
- Treat any unexpected email with caution.
- Report suspicious activity immediately: If something feels off, trust your instincts. Report it immediately to UBC Cybersecurity at security@ubc.ca. Quick reporting is often the difference between stopping an attack and a successful compromise.
Thank you for helping keep our UBC systems and data safe.
