Important TSD Cyber Security Update

Important Information Update from TSD:

Social Engineering, Phishing, Email Spoofing, and Fraud Awareness

Attempts to obtain personal and school-related information through phishing and other social engineering scams continue to increase worldwide. We have seen these attacks affect state governments, healthcare organizations, businesses, schools, and individuals. Recently, Talawanda staff and community members have also been targeted by phishing emails designed to appear legitimate.

In one recent example, recipients received what appeared to be a legitimate email invitation. At this time, Talawanda's systems remain safe and secure. However, if an individual responded to the fraudulent email or provided personal information, that information may have been compromised. If you believe you may have shared sensitive information, consider changing your usernames and passwords immediately and monitor your accounts for suspicious activity. Cybersecurity experts also strongly recommend using strong, unique passwords, updating them regularly, and enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA), which requires an additional verification step, such as a code sent to your phone.

When you receive an unexpected email or request, pause and verify before clicking. Be sure to:

• Verify the sender's full email address.
• Confirm you know and trust the sender.
• Watch for poor grammar, spelling mistakes, unusual wording, or requests that seem out of character.
• Never provide personal or school-related information in response to an unexpected email.
• If you have any doubts, contact the sender using a trusted phone number or email address to confirm the request before responding.

Phishing attempts continue to become more sophisticated and convincing, making it increasingly difficult to distinguish legitimate communications from fraudulent ones. If something doesn't seem right, trust your instincts—it is always better to verify first.

Thank you to everyone who recently reported a fraudulent email invitation that appeared to come from Talawanda employees and community members. Your vigilance helped identify the phishing attempt quickly. Similar invitations have also been sent from non-Talawanda email accounts targeting both staff and community members in an effort to collect personal information.

If you have any questions or concerns about suspicious emails or other potential scams, please contact us. We appreciate your continued partnership in helping keep our school community safe.

The FBI provides additional informaiton at https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-frauds-and-scams/spoofing-and-phishing.  Additional information may be found at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEdZwLRJttQ.

Also you may refer to this helpful video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEdZwLRJttQ.

Thank you.

Holli Hansel
Director of Communications