Important: Spam email asking users to verify account
Tuesday, 10 July 2018
Some colleagues at the University may have received a spam email pretending to be from the University’s IT department.
The email has come from IT Service Desk <it@reading-ac.uk> and says
Dear [Name],
We have migrated our HR and student systems over the weekend. This process was largely automated and will require user verification to ensure your account has been migrated successfully.
Please could all users verify their accounts on our portal by going to the following link: https://www.reading.ac.uk/verificationportal.aspx
Your help is greatly appreciated.
––––––––––––
IT Service Desk
Information Technology
University of Reading
This is not a legitimate request – please ensure you and your colleagues do not click on the attachment or follow any of the instructions given in the email.
If you look carefully, there is a dash in the University of Reading email address.
IT would like to remind users to be careful when they receive emails that look suspicious.
Our systems block approximately 3 million spam emails every week – even with these measures in place, a small number of spam emails still manage to get through.
Spam emails can be hard to spot, especially if they use ‘spoofed’ email addresses or pretend to be sent from an existing University system.
These emails can also be malicious, and opening links or attachments from them could put your work and personal information at risk.
We ask you to be vigilant and consider the following actions when opening email at work:
- Never click on links or open attachments in unsolicited emails.
- Email addresses can be ‘spoofed’ to look like an address you trust. Check the email address carefully, and if unsure, check with the sender.
If the email pretends to be sent from a specific system, check the email carefully – emails sent from the University will include clear sender details and branding (including University email signatures).
A screenshot of the email detailed above is available for reference.
IT also recommend the following security guidelines:
- Use strong passwords, including a mixture of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters.
- Never share your password or write it down.
- Do not allow family members or non-authorised people to use your work computer.
If you receive an email you believe to be suspicious or would like further information or advice, please visit the IT webpage: www.reading.ac.uk/it