This knowledge base article contains several reminders about cybersecurity best practices. These practices should be adopted when using technology, both at work and at home.
Email Banners - Springfield Public Schools uses three email banners that appear at the top of your received emails, and you should be mindful of them.
If you see a red banner at the top of an email, it means the email contains flagged words, such as "gift card," which may indicate a potential phishing email. Treat these emails with caution and try to verify the sender.
If you see an orange email banner, the email did not come from the @springfieldpublicschools.com domain but from an unapproved outside domain or user. If you do not recognize the sender, treat these emails with caution as well.
If you see a green email banner, that means the email did not come from @springfieldpublicschools.com but from an approved domain or user. Even though they are trusted, you should still exercise caution with any content within the email message, like web links or attachments.
Phishing Emails - If you receive an email requesting that you click a web link to change your password or enter sensitive information, exercise caution. These emails can appear to be coming from a legitimate person or establishment by including elements such as the company's logo or other familiar content. Still, it can be an attempt by bad actors to steal information from you. If you encounter an email like this, please do not click any web links, open/download any attachments, or respond to the sender. We recommend that you report the email and delete it from your mailbox. If you want to follow up on the email, we recommend contacting the person or company to confirm that they sent the email and the email address from which it was sent.
Impersonating Emails - Bad actors sometimes create email accounts in Gmail or Yahoo using the names of SPS staff members and then try to send emails asking SPS employees for favors (like buying a gift card on their behalf or donating). If you receive an email with the name of someone from SPS, but it appears suspicious (an official email from an SPS employee will end with @springfieldpublicschools.com), we recommend that you report the email and delete it from your mailbox. If you would like to follow up on the email, we recommend contacting the person to confirm receipt of the email.
Restarting your Computer - You should restart your computer at least once a week to ensure it has the latest security updates installed. The “Restart” option is in the Start menu, where you would shut down your computer.
Shutting down your Computer - When you are not using your computer, you should shut it down (if you close the cover of your laptop, it will remain connected to the Internet).
Personal Files on Your SPS Computer - We recommend against storing documents with your personal information on your SPS computer. If you need to use your SPS computer to send documents, we recommend deleting them once you have sent them or no longer need them on your SPS device.
Resetting your SPS Account Password - If you believe you're a victim of a phishing attack, we recommend you reset your password immediately.
Thank you for your attention to these cyber safety recommendations and reminders