The expense of returning to school often entails far more than the cost of tuition. Students and the parents/caregivers who support them are wise to look for the best deals possible, but scammers, spammers, and phishers are looking to outsmart you at every turn.

These common back-to-school scams offer the perfect study guide for protecting yourself from security threats.

1. SMS giveaways and freebies

Congratulations! You’ve just received a text message saying you’ve been awarded a free back-to-school shopping spree. You just have to visit a website, provide your email address… and you will be “rewarded” with endless emails, texts and automated phone calls from the company you’ve just given your information to.

Bonus: You’ll also get solicitations from the marketing companies they’ve sold your information to if you happen to agree with their privacy policy before catching on to the phony SMS message.

Most companies don’t market via SMS. If you’re curious about whether the deal is legitimate, search for the company and the deal it’s claiming to offer online. If you don’t see your offer listed, you are being phished.

2. Social media scams

You know the familiar Facebook sidebar, advertising deals, offers and giveaways that seem too good to be true; and they often are. Common back-to-school scams show up in the form of ads promising desirable mobile devices, $1000 gift cards and department store vouchers for a fraction of the price.

These seemingly unbeatable deals often lure curious Facebook users away from their news feeds to investigate further. They are particularly dangerous because they often only depend on the user clicking the advertisement. Instead of being one click away from a $19.99 iPad, you’re downloading malware onto your electronic device.

3. Advertisements

Whether they’re arriving by pop-up, sidebar or email, always inspect back-to-school advertisements and promotions closely. A poorly constructed malicious ad will often feature spelling errors, bad grammar and distorted or unfamiliar company logos, but many scam advertisements are hard to spot at first and even second glance.

One way to ensure an advertisement is authentic is to search for the language appearing in the ad along with the company name through a reputable search engine. If nothing comes up (or if the search results look just as suspicious), the ad is likely a fraud.

Scammers and phishers purposely make it easy to click your way right into a situation that compromises your private data. Ensure your security software is up to date on all devices you use for web browsing and be wary of clicking on links from unknown sources. To help you identify fraudulent emails, ITS will continue to simulate phishing and assign training to those most susceptible. If you believe you’ve been targeted by phishing, see Reporting a Phishing Message (How-to).

— Carla Herling, ITS

It has been a busy, yet quiet summer, and it is wonderful to see more activity on campus again. As we start another school year, I want to share some updates to ITS services and projects we are working on. 

This fall, the support center in Carnegie Hall is open again for student walk-in assistance, however ITS recommends using the IT service portal at service.drake.edu/its (or click the ITS Support button in myDrake) or calling 515-271-3001 for assistance. ITS staff will first try to resolve issues remotely. In-person appointments for faculty and staff will be scheduled if remote resolution isn’t successful. 

New Systems and Services  

• Some of the most important technology ITS supports is in the classroom. Last year, ITS received funding to begin a two-year project to update classroom technology across campus. You’ll start to see new equipment and designs in classrooms this fall! Tools for online instruction also got a major boost this year with the upgrade to Blackboard Ultra.
    
• We are currently working with our vendor, LRI, to replace campus printers and copiers. While our goal was to have all printers installed before classes began, global supply chain delays in equipment delivery will extend the roll out into the school year. Please bear with us as we work to distribute and install new equipment as quickly as possible.

• One of the most exciting projects of the summer was the full upgrade of the wireless network in residence halls. New wireless access points have been installed in every room and relocated in common areas to provide stronger and more consistent wireless coverage.
   
• Last year ITS began moving all campus telephones from the old analog system to Microsoft Teams Voice over IP (VoIP) services. Our 20-year-old telecom system is no longer vendor supported. We are more than halfway through the transition to VoIP. Call quality and service should return to normal as we complete this move and are able to fully decommission our old system.

Information Technology Security 

Cybersecurity, data breaches, ransomware and phishing at colleges and universities have become frequent headlines. To ensure our personal and institutional information is protected, ITS is implementing several new security measures.  

1. Longer password requirements that are stronger and harder to crack
   Password length is more effective than frequently updating your password. Until recently, Drake’s minimum requirement was eight characters including upper- and lower-case letters, symbols and numbers. This combination now takes less than 8 hours to crack, compared to 34,000 years for a 12-character password. ITS has increased the minimum required password length to 12 characters and is extending the reset schedule from every year to every two years.
2. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for students
   Using multiple methods of verification is the most effective way to prevent compromised email accounts. Rather than just signing in with your username and password an additional authentication method such as a PIN or mobile app will be used to access email and other Drake accounts.  

In closing, on behalf of all ITS, I want to thank you for your support as we roll out these technology changes. We look forward to another year of supporting our community and furthering the innovative use of technology to enhance the Drake experience for students, faculty, and staff.  

— Keren Fiorenza, Acting CITO, Information Technology Services