Welcome back, Dons!
College life is busy enough without having to deal with hacked accounts, stolen data, or digital scams. Unfortunately, cybercriminals love targeting college students because we live online, use multiple devices, and often share personal info without thinking twice. The good news? Staying safe online isn’t hard. It’s about building small habits that protect your accounts, your money, and your reputation.
Common Cyber Threats
- Phishing emails and texts – Fake messages that look legit from your school, bank, or trusted apps like PayPal and Venmo. They try to get you to click a link or share personal information.
- Social media and other online scams – “DM me for quick cash” or fake Instagram/TikTok giveaways that steal your account. You may even encounter someone offering deep discounts on luxury items or life-changing opportunities for little effort and low cost. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- Public Wi-Fi snooping – Hackers love free coffee shop Wi-Fi. They can intercept what you send, including your login credentials, if you’re not protected.
- Credential stuffing – Hackers take usernames/passwords from past breaches (yes, even from years ago) and try them on your accounts.
Your Cyber Security Starter Pack
- Use strong, unique passwords for each account. Password managers like 1Password, Bitwarden, or LastPass can make this easy.
- Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever you can, especially email, banking, and your social media accounts.
- Think before you click. Be wary of suspicious emails and texts from what appear to be trusted sources. If you’re prompted to click, go directly to the official site or app instead.
- Lock your devices with a PIN, fingerprint, or Face ID.
- Avoid public Wi-Fi for sensitive stuff. Use your phone’s hotspot or a trusted VPN if you must.
- Update your operating systems, apps, and devices. Those “annoying” updates patch security holes and are intended to keep you safe.
- Limit personal info posted on social media. Don’t overshare birth dates, addresses, or details scammers can use for security questions.
- Review your privacy settings. Check your social media, Google, Apple, and other app permissions regularly to control what you share and with whom.
If You Think You've Been Hacked
- Change your password immediately, especially if you reused it elsewhere.
- Turn on MFA wherever it is available.
- Report it!
- For USF accounts, contact the ITS Help Desk at itshelp@usfca.edu.
- For banking or payment apps, contact their respective support teams directly to freeze or secure your account.
- Check your other accounts, especially email and social media, for any unusual activity.
- Log out of all active sessions on the compromised account to kick out any intruders. This can usually be performed in the settings section of your various accounts.
Protecting your devices and data isn’t hard — it just takes a little vigilance every day. Every password you strengthen, every suspicious link you ignore, and every privacy setting you check makes it harder for cybercriminals to get through.
Sincerely,
Vince Villarama
Information Security Officer