At KAUST, whether it be business or academic usage, a wide variety of tools are used to ease and simplify work around campus. With information technology, new exciting ways of doing things sprout up every single day. Many departments and individuals across campus use various services that require embedding their links in the emails and on websites. Please check with Information Security (InfoSec) before purchasing or deploying such a service to avoid users mistakenly reporting your service as a phishing email. InfoSec will then whitelist this service and alert the community that this service/URL is legitimate.
Some of the already used tools on campus are included in the list below:
- i.diawi.com
- Wufoo.com
- Brassring
- Forms.google
- Formstack
- surveymonkey
- mailchimp
- bit.ly
- goo.gl
- E2MA
Each has a unique function, such as statistics gathering, URL shortening, surveys, and process automation. These tools are hosted outside KAUST; which is why they do not have the KAUST domain, kaust.edu.sa. If your department is using a service that is not on the above list, please report it to InfoSec.
Our advice for such tools is to always check the sender and ensure it is someone you know and trust. If in doubt, pick up the phone or stop by and see the sender to ask about the email. If you are still in doubt, report the email as a phish or forward it to: phishreporter@kaust.edu.sa.
Regards,
KAUST Information Security Department
askinfosec@kaust.edu.sa