
Hope through love and service
News 23 AprilA message from the Provost Professor Julie Cogin.
10 July 2024
Share
We all have a part to play in protecting ACU from cyber threats. Phishing is a serious threat to ACU’s organisational information and to your personal information. It can lead to data breaches, identity theft, ransomware, and other malicious consequences.
Phishing attacks are becoming more sophisticated and harder to detect every day.
ACU IT recently ran a phishing email simulation for all staff to assess our existing awareness and behaviour, and to see where to focus our future efforts and education. This exercise wasn’t intended to catch people or single anyone out.
The result of this simulation was that more than 500 people clicked on the link and, of these, more than 300 people provided their ACU login credentials (username and password) into a fake login page. In a real phishing situation, this represents 300 opportunities for an attacker to gain access to ACU systems.
Reassuringly, more than 400 people correctly assessed and reported the phishing email using the “report message” button in Outlook. Reporting a suspected phishing email represents an opportunity for ACU to catch attacks early and protect others against them.
IT is working to prevent any malicious emails getting to you, but we need your help to find any that make it through the cracks.
Currently, any emails that Microsoft identifies as potential phishing are moved to a Junk folder in Outlook, where you can view and decide what to do with them.
ACU has now taken the first step to make our environment even more secure from phishing by tightening some controls. Tightening these controls may mean some genuine emails are flagged by the system as junk and they’ll also end up in your junk folder – these are called false positives.
Keep an eye on your junk folder and make sure to report any false positives by categorising them as “not junk”. You can do this by simply right clicking on any genuine email and marking it as “not junk”.
Remember, if you’re not sure, don’t click on any links in an email and never click on links that ask you to log in and take you to a login screen. If you receive a suspicious email, report it through Outlook.
You’ll also soon receive some quick and easy Microsoft training from Microsoft’s training system notification@attacksimulationtraining.com. Please take a moment to complete this and do your part in helping to spot phishing emails and keep everyone safe.
You can contact Service Central for further information and assistance:
See more information about phishing
Cyber security is not only about protecting the university’s data from unauthorised access, but also about safeguarding your own personal and financial information from cyber threats.
We are making several improvements to ACU’s cyber security stance throughout the year, and we need your help.
Thanks for your contribution to keeping ACU secure.
A message from the Provost Professor Julie Cogin.
Join us for an online session designed to help you get the most out of EndNote when working on your thesis or publications.
Include an additional survey item in the Student Evaluation of Learning and Teaching (SELT) survey for units that are offered in Semester 1 (202530) and Professional Term 3 (202515).
Curious about how ACU is turning its equity commitments into real-world impact? Explore how teams across the university are creating meaningful change through widening participation projects.
The Digest from Academic Board meeting 01/2025, held on 19 February 2025, is now available.
All ACU staff and students are invited to a commemorative prayer service at your local campus ahead of Anzac Day. Please join us at your local campus to remember and honour our service men and women w...
As we move towards the celebration of Easter, Pope Francis reminds us of the meaning and joy of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Register to attend the first Aquero Lecture of 2025.
A message from the Chief Operating Officer, Patrick Woods.
As ACU positions itself as a leading university in human flourishing, it is important to consider the value of community-engaged practices. The ACU and DePaul conference provides a perfect opportunity...
Please be aware of the following changes to payroll processing dates next week.
As reported in various news outlets, a recent cyber incident has impacted a number of Australian Superannuation funds. UniSuper has confirmed that they are not impacted by the incident but remain vigi...
Advance your career in teaching and learning with the Graduate Certificate in Higher Education. Enrol by 14 April 2025 to get started in Professional Term 4.
Applications for the 2025 Teaching Development Grants and Citations and Awards programs open soon. Register for an information session to learn how to be recognised for your contributions to teaching ...
ACU Library’s Research Engagement team is running their Research Essentials skills sessions again in 2025. Metrics Week 1 aims to introduce you to the types of metrics you can use in grant application...
A message from Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) Professor Abid Khan: ACU is integrating our research excellence within a comprehensive framework focused on human flourishing.
Thank you to everyone within our ACU community who engaged with Respect at Uni Week 2025. This year we focused on Shining a Light on Respect.
The Student Administration teams have been extremely active during the first quarter of 2025.
ServiceNow will now be used for receiving and referring complaints, as well as communicating with stakeholders regarding complaints and feedback received. Learn more about this and the recent changes ...
Student Communications (MER) compiles, edits and sends a monthly Student News and Events bulletin. This bulletin is sent to all students, nationally, and includes a broad cross-section of news, announ...
Visit Service Central to access Corporate Services.