Another attempt to breach the University’s email network had been made, according to an online notice posted Wednesday by the Oxford University Computing Services (OUCS).
The email’s sender poses as an administrator of the University’s official email network, using the address Webmail @ Subscriber.net, to trick users into revealing their Webmail username and password.
The emails have “SUBSCRIBERS GET BACK” in the subject line, and have been sent to University email account holders as part of a so-called ‘phishing’ attack.
A notice posted on Oxford’s Webmail site on Wednesday morning warned users to ‘NOT click any web links in emails’ and to ‘NEVER reply to such emails.’
Brasenose ICT officer Peter Bushnell names David Ford as the first to be aware of the so-called ‘phishing’ attempt.
Ford, a member of OUCS’s Network Security Team, sent a personal alert to various college IT officers, informing them that the fraudulent email is one “claiming to be an announcement of scheduled maintenance and asking the user to reply immediately with their password.”
“I don’t know what the details are but I just thought I’d warn everybody and forward the email from David, since he’s the person to ask,” said Bushnell.
It is unknown how many people gave up their details as a result the email, and whether any measures have been taken to stop the phisher.
OUCS refused to comment.
