IT Security Notice: Phishing Alert


The IT Security team has received reports about a malicious email that has been sent to many members of the McMaster community over the past few days. The sender is purporting to be Acting President and Vice-Chancellor at McMaster University David Farrar.

Watch out for an email with the following elements:

The objective of the message is to steal your MacID credentials. The email includes an attachment that when opened may result in malware being installed on the recipient’s computer. The attachment also contains a link that takes users to an external website where they are prompted for their credentials.

The IT Security team has enabled measures that will protect members of the McMaster community from these malicious email messages, however some inboxes were affected before measures were implemented.  If you received either of these malicious emails, please delete them immediately.

If you opened the attachment or clicked the link, please take the following actions:

  • Scan your computer for malware immediately.
  • Change your password.