Olivia Rine, Contributing Writer
VCU students raised concerns with campus online safety, following recent cyber attacks to VCU online systems.
Over 7,000 VCU students were sent phishing emails earlier this month from cybercriminals attempting to compromise their email accounts, according to VCU News. The scammers posed as “VCU IT Department,” threatening to remove students from their courses if they did not provide their login information.
In late April, VCU students were met with ransom notes upon opening Canvas, according to ABC 8 News. The attack was a part of a national breach from hacking group ShinyHunters.
After the initial Canvas hack, the platform faced another hack on the afternoon of May 7, where ransom notes appeared on the login pages of many universities, including VCU.
VCU’s chief information officer, Dan Han, acknowledged that as the use of technology rises, risks are predicted to rise as well.
“Not only are we seeing a significant shortening of time between the disclosure of a vulnerability and the exploitation of such vulnerability, but the advancement of these adversarial technologies is also breaking down language barriers and allowing threat actors to rapidly create and deploy increasingly convincing scams intended to target our community,” Han stated in an email.
Han assured that this was not solely an issue with VCU’s Canvas platform, but other universities and colleges as well. He encouraged students and staff to exercise caution when using technology by keeping an eye out for cyber criminals targeting their emails, cell phones and other personal technologies.
“As organizational cyber defenses mature, we are also seeing cyber criminals target individuals through their personal email accounts or cell phones, thus keeping the scam away from any safeguards organizations may have in place,” Han stated.
VCU’s Enterprise Marketing and Communications, Information Security Office, Student Affairs and VCU Police, collaborated to form an awareness campaign called “Stop, Verify, Report,” to educate students on different scams to look out for to ensure their cybersecurity and safety, according to Han.
“Online safety and security is a collective responsibility, and as each of us are more aware of the threat and how to report them, we can collectively make our community a safer place for everyone,” Han stated.
Jake Burns, VCU Police spokesperson, suggested that students avoid cybersecurity compromises by not engaging in suspicious outreaches, including emails, texts and phone calls. Students should instead use verified VCU platforms and report any suspicious activity to VCU’s official phishing detection email address.
VCU’s Information Security Office began the “Security Heroes” program to focus on rewarding students and faculty with prizes for being proactive about their digital security.
“Members of the VCU community who report cybersecurity issues, such as potential scams, can enter for a chance to win some exclusive prizes each month,” Han stated.
Even though there have been numerous efforts to ensure VCU’s online safety, students are still apprehensive about their use of the program, including
Dani Belay, a second-year Mass Communications student, said that he had to reevaluate how much trust he was putting into VCU online services.
Jacqueline Tran, a second-year Mass Communications student, said VCU Technology Services handled the situation quickly and maintained clear communication to students, faculty and families about the situation.
“I think VCU handled the hack decently,” Tran said. “They took the steps to warn students about phishing scams, random hyperlinks, and not to use Canvas while it was hacked.”
Tran said that the school should offer alternatives in case situations like this happen again.
“I do think that there should be back ups offered by the school in the case of a Canvas hack,” Tran said. “Specifically when Canvas was hacked during finals seasons, there were many students who lost their access to study materials and online tests.”
