Identify Phishing Emails

The University experiences phishing attacks everyday.  Phishing attacks are malicious and designed to either swindle you out of money or steal your Western credentials (login username/password).  With credential theft, the attacker can send out more malicious emails in your name, directly access our network, and login into any resource you have access to such as your Web4U account and Canvas.  Please note that phishing emails are different from spam whose purpose is to sell you something.  Microsoft has a short webpage and 2 minute video that can teach you how to identify a phish email.  View some actual phishing examples that Western has received with informational tips. Also, check our Alerts for some of our recent phishing attacks.

Report Phishing

Reporting a phish using the Report Message button helps our automated processes identify similar messages.  We would also like you to open a ticket with the ATUS helpdesk online or by sending an email to atus.helpdesk@wwu.edu. Western's Information Security Office monitors the Help Desk queues and can do some further investigation.