Keeping You Safe is a monthly series offering staff practical cyber security tips to stay safe.

Social engineering

In 2024, staff impersonation was the second most recorded incident in IDS’s cyber security tracker. These attempts, often through phishing emails, are a form of social engineering where threat actors manipulate individuals into disclosing confidential information.

Impersonators may contact staff via phone, email, or other means, convincing them to share sensitive data. These attempts can be simplistic, often coming from non-Flinders email addresses. During busy workdays, it’s easy to respond without verifying the request.

During 2024, we saw impersonation attempts targeting senior leadership, including impersonation of the Vice-Chancellor. In December, a large-scale attempt involved an external Gmail address targeting 151 Flinders mailboxes.

Impersonation isn’t limited to Flinders staff and students; threat actors may pose as external vendors or prospective employees. For example, the organisation KnowBe4 reported hiring a fake North Korean employee using a stolen US identity and AI-generated images.

Flinders’ success in research makes it an attractive target. Deepfake technology, LinkedIn hierarchy mapping, and AI-crafted phishing templates contribute to ongoing threats.

What should you do?

If you receive an unusual request from a colleague or vendor, verify its legitimacy. Some ways you can do this is by checking the email address carefully to ensure it is legitimate or verifying the request via an alternative means such as calling the sender directly.

Please report any suspicious emails by using the Phriendly Phishing report button in Outlook or you can call the IDS Service Desk on ext. 12345 or (08) 8201 2345.