Phishing is a top cybersecurity threat to UNH. Personally identifiable information — the primary target of phishing attempts — that falls into the wrong hands can cause much financial and reputational damage to the university and its employees. Phishing attacks are often launched by malicious attachments or links in email. When recipients open these malicious attachments or click on the links, it can spark an attack.
Email originating from outside UNH should be approached cautiously, especially messages with subject matter containing such information as password changes, email quotas and pay or benefits changes. A high percentage of phishing attempts targeted toward the university often comprise these topics.
To combat phishing and help employees identify potentially fraudulent email, UNH has activated external email tagging. Starting Jan. 16, messages sent from outside UNH will now be marked with red text that reads “Caution — External Email” in the top left of the email.
A tag does not mean the email is malicious, only that recipients should take caution. Do not click on links or open attachments in messages with which you are unfamiliar. All email originating from outside the university, except for approved services, will be tagged with this message.
For additional information on spotting/reporting phishing attempts, visit the UNH IT webpage.