More and more aspects of our lives are moving online. We can email, share personal stories and photos, shop, turn our house lights on and off...the list goes on. Amidst all of this, we must remember to consider the security of the information we have access to.
What Threats Should I Be Aware Of Now?
When we learn about strategies that we think the campus should be aware of, we will add them to this page. If you wish to remain informed, you can (if you are logged in) click the Watch menu at the top of the page and choose "Watch this page". That will send you an email when we share updates.
QR Code on an Unexpected Package
Some people are receiving gift packages from an unknown sender with a QR code that promises to tell you who sent the gift. In truth, the QR code will lead you to a phishing website or download malware. You can learn more about this type of scam (known as a brushing scam or "quishing" - we don't make up these names, we swear) at the FTC website, https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2025/01/scam-alert-qr-code-unexpected-package.
Act Now to Maintain Your Office Account
Emails prompting you to log in so that you can continue using your Office account are making the rounds. Drew University offers Microsoft Office software but we do not have Office accounts at the moment. If you receive a message like this, double check the UT website, U-KNOW spaces, or emails for more information.
Free Musical Instruments
Different versions of the free musical instruments (just pay shipping!) are as they seem: too good to be true. We have more information about these types of scams at Phishing Email Example: The musical instruments are not real.
"You need to update your browser to view the content!"
There is a fake browser update scam, explained in this post from Oct 18, 2023, that tells you to click a link to update your browser in order to view a webpage. If you click the link, a trojan is installed on your computer - usually one that steals information. The latest evolution of this scam uses files saved as cryptocurrecy transactions.
So what should you do? Keep your browser up-to-date on your own! Each browser handles this slightly differently, but we've included links to the support pages for some common browsers here:
"Important Person X shared a document with you"
We don't always know when someone is planning to share a Google file with us ahead of time. However, if we are not expecting it, it is safer to contact the person (or, for important people, either their representative or the User Experience Team) to confirm that the file is legitimate. This holds true for unexpected links (Did a YouTube video remind someone of you, so they sent you the link? You could look up the video on YouTube, or give the person a call to double check.).
Where Can I Learn More?
A few sources for those looking at their online security include:
- Cybersecurity Basics from the FTC
- StaySafeOnline.org, a collection of resources from the National Cyber Security Alliance
- Privacy Not Included from the Mozilla Foundation
- National Privacy Test from NordVPN where you can find out your personal security score and see how it compares by country
- Consumer Reports Digital Security & Privacy offers tips, product reviews and more.
- Google's Safety Center, https://www.google.com/safetycenter/, with sections specifically for individuals and families
The topics referenced in most online security tip collections include:
- Passwords and passphrases
- Different passwords for each online account
- Long and complicated (passphrases are easier to remember but harder to crack)
- Password managers may help
- Multi-factor authentication
- Lock the screens on your devices (phone, tablet, computer)
- Update your devices and the software/applications on them
We hope this information helps you to better secure your information and the information shared with you!
Reviewed December 18, 2025