As phishing emails and hacked Instagram accounts continue to target college students everywhere, Samford University is making cybersecurity a priority.
Over the summer, numerous students —, including incoming freshmen — were targeted by a phishing email saying their account was scheduled to be deleted. The emails prompted some to take immediate action.
Jackson Adams, a sophomore, said he remained suspicious.
“I didn’t fall for it mostly because the formatting looks a little bit different than the emails I’m used to receiving,” he said.
The fake emails sent out were from hacked Samford email addresses, meaning they did not trigger the usual “Email originated outside Samford University” message in red. That left some students questioning whether the messages could be legitimate.
Another common scam in the Samford community involves hacked accounts sending messages in the GroupMe’s of various on-campus clubs and organizations, claiming to sell discounted items.
“I’m in GroupMe’s and all the time people are selling fake tickets,” said freshman Claire Girup.
Despite scams like these being prominent, several students expressed their confidence in the IT Department at Samford.
Adams said, “In terms of university-wise, Samford’s probably top tier in terms of software protection and stuff.”
Students also pointed to Samford Technology Services’ regular awareness campaigns — including emails sent during Cybersecurity Awareness Month last October — and the school’s use of Duo two-factor authentication as signs that officials are taking the issue seriously.
The Samford Technology Services website offers several self-help PDFs for things like reconnecting to Wi-Fi or reporting messages and has a 24-hour phone number for their service desk that can be called for issues like system outages.
Staff Reporter
