Email security
Attackers can use email to infect your computer with malware and viruses or to obtain passwords and other personal details via deception. Often, the sender details are fake, with genuine-looking emails appearing to come from some other organisation or even some part of the University, such as HR, "The Helpdesk", or "The System Administrator".
Email safety advice
Never respond to any email asking you for your ID, passwords or any other personal information. The University will never ask you for your password in an email, directly or via a link.
- Treat all unsolicited email with suspicion, even if the sender appears to someone you trust
- If an offer in an email seems too good to be true, it probably is!
- Avoid clicking on links or opening attachments in unsolicited email
- If a link in an email takes you to a log-in page, even if it looks similar to the page you normally use, do not log in. Instead, use one of these safe methods:
- Go to the University home page or MyGlasgow and navigate from there
- Use a desktop icon or a bookmark you saved earlier
- Carefully type the URL address by hand
Always err on the side of caution, and if in doubt, contact the UofG Helpdesk.
Spam
Spam is a global problem, and IT Services filter a huge amount every day. Some days over 90% of the email that arrives at the University is filtered out as spam! Whatever we do, some spam will always get through, as spammers find new ways to evade detection.
The University's spam filter service adds [SPAM?] to the subject line of emails it suspects to be spam.
If a spam message reaches you without [SPAM?] in the subject line, use Outlook's built-in reporting tool to report any spam emails.
- In Outlook, select the Report Message button at the top of the email window, then select Junk
Phishing
Phishing emails are intended to trick you into sharing personal data, such as login details or financial information, and may appear to come from a person or organisation you trust.
Spoofed email and collateral spam
Spoofed (or forged) email is where the spammers make it look as though the email came from another address. In some cases, this may be a UofG address, e.g., first.surname@gla.systa-s.com
In some cases, this causes non-delivery reports and out-of-office replies to be directed to the spoofed address; this is sometimes known as "collateral spam" or "backscatter".
Most organisations' email servers attempt to minimise this by rejecting the message during the initial stage; however, this may not happen in all cases, so the spoofed email address receives junk non-delivery reports and out-of-office replies. There may also occasionally be replies to the spam message from the recipients of the spam email.
IT Services advise ignoring such emails. However, if in doubt about an email received, contact the UofG Helpdesk.