Cybersecurity Playbook: Pause, Verify and Defend Against Threats

In brief:

• A completed to-do list is not worth compromised information. Verify emails, calls and messages before responding.
• If something looks wrong, report it immediately to SpamReporting@aafes.com.

Football season is in full swing, and so is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. As artificial intelligence (AI) use continues to grow, so do AI-powered scams designed to look, sound and read like they came from someone you can trust. Can you spot deceptive cyber practices as quickly as a quarterback finds an opening to a wide receiver?

This week, we’re turning to the cybersecurity playbook to help you recognize suspicious situations, verify what you see and protect yourself before making your next move.

Call a Timeout

AI can help cybercriminals create polished emails and convincing messages with realistic requests to persuade you to act quickly. Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility and it’s up to us to call a timeout and verify information closely.

Treat a message that demands secrecy or requests payment information, passwords or PII as suspicious. Do not respond, click links, open attachments or share information. Report it immediately to SpamReporting@aafes.com.

• Is the sender requesting personally identifiable information including your full name, employee ID number, birthdate, bank account information, etc.?
• Verify sender email addresses, account names, URLs, QR codes and attachments before clicking links or opening files.
• While AI can catch and correct typos, check for misspelled words and punctuation errors. Cyber criminals are banking on you to skim over the text and make a move.

Review the Play Before You Click

AI can be used to imitate voices, faces and signature blocks, so this is no longer proof that a message is legitimate.

• Slow down and carefully review all requests, messages and emails.
• Do not rely solely on caller IDs, voices, faces or signature blocks, as AI can be used to impersonate these.
• Exchange associates will never penalize you for taking a moment to verify whether a call, message or email truly came from them.

A Byte of Humor: What do phishing emails and bad football plays have in common?

They both fall apart when you read the defense.

Reality: Phishing emails often rely on familiar-looking names, urgent requests and deceptive links to pressure you into acting quickly. Slow down, verify the sender and inspect URLs, QR codes and attachments before you respond, click or open anything.

Check out the Exchange Post and Exchange Associates @exchangeassoc social channels (Facebook, Instagram and X) every week for Cybersecurity Awareness Month tips and tricks.