Information Technology Update – June 20, 2019

ICT service disruption

On the June 5 a number of students received phishing emails which were attempting to gather credentials and propagate further spam. Unfortunately, some boys clicked these links and their accounts further spread the spam email. The College has taken a cautious and thorough approach to reinstating services with the intention of minimising the chance of this type of issue happening again.

The College engaged a cyber security firm to audit the exact nature and extent of what occurred. The preliminary report has confirmed that there was no theft of data and it was confined to creating spam email from student email accounts.

Sadly, cyber criminals are constantly trying to steal credential information and while the College puts measures in place to ensure students are not exposed to this kind of email, there are also steps that they can take to ensure their online safety.

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has created the website www.staysmartonline.gov.au which has extensive information about what students (and others) can do to protect themselves online. In addition to the general advice provided by the ACSC the College strongly recommends that students:

• Ensure that they don’t re-use the password associated with their student accounts on other services
• Use the provided email as directed by staff and not for personal use
• Report any suspicious emails to the ICT helpdesk

The pastoral care program runs a number of sessions throughout the year to help the students recognise scams and remain safe online and I encourage them to talk to their pastoral tutor if they suspect anything suspicious.

For more information on phishing scams and safe email use see: https://www.staysmartonline.gov.au/protect-yourself/protect-your-stuff/email