Ransomware gangs have evolved from attempting to access your personal information through convincing emails and threatening phone calls to a more physical approach. With this week being Data Privacy Week, it’s a great time to talk about one of the newer phishing scams to be aware of – malicious USB sticks.

Arriving through the mail from either USPS or UPS, these packages are disguised as coming from Amazon or the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Packages appearing to be from Amazon arrive as gift boxes with a “thank you” letter and fake gift card accompanying the USB stick; and packages appearing to be from HHS include a letter(s) referencing COVID-19 along with the USB stick.

If you receive a package with a USB stick, please report it to the Help Desk. Do not place the USB stick in your computer. Thank you for your assistance in helping us protect our student’s private data.