As the semester winds down and the holiday excitement ramps up, cybercriminals also see this as their most wonderful time of the year. With increased travel, online shopping, and end-of-year deadlines, it’s easy for our guard to slip, and attackers realize it.

Here are some cheerful (and practical!) reminders to help you stay secure all season long.

Beware of Holiday “Phishing” Surprises

This is the busiest phishing season of the year. Scammers send fake package-tracking updates, gift-card offers, donation requests, or urgent messages pretending to be from TWU. Stay secure by remembering:

• Check the sender’s address carefully. Small misspellings are big red flags.
• Don’t open attachments you weren’t expecting.
• Report suspicious emails to the TWU Service Desk

If it looks phishy, it probably is!

Keep Your Accounts Merry With MFA

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is like adding an extra lock on your digital door. Even if someone gets your password, they still can’t get in without your second factor.

Enable MFA on all of your accounts, including email, banking, social media, and shopping accounts. MFA only takes a moment to set up.

Update Before You Hibernate

Before you settle in for the break, take a moment to ensure your devices are up to date.

Updating now protects your devices from the latest threats while you enjoy the holiday downtime.

Stuff Your Stockings with Strong Passwords

Your passwords shouldn’t be as predictable as holiday sweaters. Use a unique password for every account and a password manager to keep your credentials secure and organized.

Travel Smart, Travel Secure

Heading out of town? Avoid using public Wi-Fi without the university or personal VPN.

• Don’t leave devices unattended
• Back up important data before you leave

A little preparation goes a long way toward keeping your holidays peaceful.

Spread Cyber Cheer

Cybersecurity is a team effort! Encourage students, colleagues, and friends to stay safe this season. Together, we help protect our campus community and keep our data secure.

We wish you a safe, joyful, and cyber-secure holiday season!