October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Explore the Phish Files
This article introduces Montclair’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month campaign and encourages the campus community to stay alert to online threats like phishing, scams, and account compromise.
Each October, we join the national observance of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a time to highlight how everyone can help protect our digital world. At Montclair, our Information Security team—known as the Phish Files—invites you to launch into this year’s theme with us: Staying Safe in Cyberspace.
Why It Matters
In the vast universe of the internet, threats like phishing emails, account takeovers, and scams are constantly orbiting, waiting to pull you in. Just one click on a malicious link can feel like getting abducted by aliens—suddenly your personal data and university information are at risk.
Mission Briefing: Cyber Safety Tips
To keep your systems secure and your data grounded, follow these essential practices:
- Think before you click. If an email looks strange or “out of this world,” don’t take the bait.
- Use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). Duo MFA is your personal force field—keeping intruders out even if your password is stolen.
- Strengthen your passwords. Make them unique and hard to crack—no “Rocky2025!” shortcuts.
- Report suspicious sightings. Use the Phish Alert Button (PAB) in Google or forward emails to phishfiles@montclair.edu.
- Update your devices. Patching your systems is like refueling your ship—without it, you could stall in the middle of your journey.
Join the Mission
All October long, the Phish Files crew is beaming down spacey, spooky tips, tricks, and activities to help you dodge lurking cyber threats. Keep your antennas up for [events, contests, or strange lights in the sky]—they’re closer than you think…
Have you peeked at Montclair IT on Instagram yet? No? You’re missing out! We drop scam alerts, outage updates, tech tips, and yes—even memes. Stay in the loop with all things techy—what are you waiting for?
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