Cybersecurity Blog

Consider getting Rid of Your Yahoo Account – 12/16/16

With more information everyday coming out about the extent of the hack at Yahoo it may be time to dump your Yahoo account. The scariest part about the breach? It has been determined that the hackers got a hold of Yahoo’s code for cookies and have the possibility to forge them. Why is that so scary? It allows the hackers to access user accounts without passwords, making changing your password a useless exercise. Yahoo is contacting users who may have had their cookie information stolen. However, do they really know which users have been effected and to what extent?

Have a Yahoo account, but you aren’t sure how to proceed?  Check out this article from KrebsOnSecurity.

Phishing Scam Alert: OneClass Chrome Extension – 12/12/16

oneclass_graphic

 

As mentioned in a previous post, you should only download apps, browser extensions and the like from reputable sources. The latest alert is for the OneClass Chrome Extension.  It is a phishing scam that will attempt to send an email to everyone in your Blackboard courses and steal your usernames and passwords. Several Mount Royal students have already been affected by this scam.

How the phishing scam works:

  1. Students receive an email with a link to install the OneClass Chrome Extension.
  2. During the installation, the user will be prompted to accept its permission of “Read and change all your data on the websites you visit.”
  3. When the user accepts, a button will be created within Blackboard pages to “Invite your Classmates to OneClass”.
  4. The extension attempts to email everyone in the user’s Blackboard classes to promote the OneClass extension.
  5. The extension also attempts to collect user credentials (usernames and passwords).

If you receive the following phishing email, do not install the extension or click on any links on the email.  Please delete the email.

“Hey guys, I just found some really helpful notes for the upcoming exams for <University Name> courses at <URL removed>.  I highly recommend signing up for an account now that way your first download is free!”

If you have installed the OneClass Chrome extension, you should immediately remove it and change the password of any site you logged into while it was installed.

To remove the extension:

  1. Open your Chrome Browser.
  2. Select the 3 vertical dots in the upper right-hand corner. A menu appears.
  3. Select Settings. The settings page appears.
  4. From the menu on the left, select Extensions.
  5. Scroll down until you locate the OneClass Easy Invite extension.
  6. Select the Trashcan icon beside the “OneClass Easy Invite” extension. A dialog box appears.
  7. Select Remove.
  8. Close all Chrome windows and return to the Extensions page to verify the extension has been removed.

Remember to use the link on the MyMRU log in page to change your password, and to change your password on any other sites you used while the extension was installed.

Any students who need assistance can contact START http://www.mtroyal.ca/AboutMountRoyal/TeachingLearning/AcademicDevelopmentCentre/START/index.htm and any staff who need assistance can contact the Service Desk at 6000.

Dailymotion Accounts Hacked – 12/07/16

 

Around the 20th of October, 85 million usernames and emails were taken from Dailymotion servers along with 18 million hashed passwords. For those of you who don’t use Dailymotion, it is popular video sharing website. Because the passwords were encrypted, it will take some time for the cyber criminals to crack them. This gives users time to change their passwords on their Dailymotion account as well as change the password for any other accounts using the same password.

Once again this drives home the importance of having a different password for each account. It is not a matter of if one of your accounts will get hacked, it is a matter of when. Limit the damage…use unique passwords.

Banking App Locks your Phone While your Account is Emptied – 12/2/16

 

Here is the latest malware scam. Cyber criminals are sending out phishing emails that appear to come from your bank and include a link to download a new banking app on your phone. The email notifies you that for the app to work, you will have to give it administrative privileges. When you download the app, everything works fine. You can make transactions just as you did with your old app.  However, after after you have completed several transactions, your phone will not recognize your unlock password. While you are distracted with your locked phone, the criminals are busy emptying your bank accounts using all the information that you entered earlier into their fake app.

Sound scary? It is. How do you protect yourself? Easy, don’t download apps from unsolicited emails. Only download apps from reputable sources such as iTunes, the Google Play Store or vendors/banks legitimate websites. When downloading from a store, make sure you check reviews before you download. Safe apps have millions of downloads and good reviews.

What do you do if you become a victim? Call your bank immediately and do a factory reset on your phone.