Thousands of university students and employees targeted by email phishing schemes this year have taken the bait.
Fortunately, they were duped not by real scammers, but by their own schools — in simulations meant to make them more adept at spotting real threats.
Ohio State University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham are among those that have recently used phishing simulations as preventive education. Recipients who click links in faux phishing messages are redirected to tips about how to spot real hacking attempts.
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Security officials say it helps protect against cyber attacks far more costly than the simulations.
In March, U.S. prosecutors accused a group of Iranians of hacking the computer systems of about 320 universities in the U.S. and abroad to steal billions of dollars’ worth of research.
