{"id":629,"date":"2021-01-08T15:20:05","date_gmt":"2021-01-08T23:20:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onlineacademiccommunity.uvic.ca\/truffolo\/?p=629"},"modified":"2023-05-08T16:43:02","modified_gmt":"2023-05-08T16:43:02","slug":"do-hackers-take-holidays-ho-ho-no","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onlineacademiccommunity.uvic.ca\/truffolo\/2021\/01\/08\/do-hackers-take-holidays-ho-ho-no\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Hackers Take Holidays? Ho, Ho, No!"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post is from an email I sent to colleagues before the holiday break, but I’m keeping the outdated theme because who doesn’t like a snappy title? (Okay, it’s a groaner, but it works for me.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Hackers \u2013 malicious actors – don\u2019t take holidays. By now you\u2019re probably getting better at spotting a phish and have figured out that your Dean isn\u2019t going to ask you to buy iTunes gift cards. 10 ways to spot a phish<\/a><\/p>\n

Email infiltration<\/h2>\n

Here\u2019s a twist: Let\u2019s say you\u2019re having a legit email conversation – say, with me – then you get a reply from me that doesn\u2019t look quite right. Doesn\u2019t \u201csound\u201d like me, and maybe I\u2019ve sent you a file you weren\u2019t expecting. Should you be suspicious? (*Spoiler alert* YES!) How can I tell it\u2019s really you?<\/a><\/p>\n

Malicious actors will infiltrate an account, and then wait. They jump onto an existing email conversation<\/em> with the hopes that you will trust that it\u2019s me. You click the link or open the file and Merry-Christmas-and-pass-the-peanut-butter it\u2019s ransomware.<\/p>\n