There is currently a phishing e-mail campaign active with the subject ‘Offerte aanvragen (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)’. These e-mails contain a virus attachment. The e-mails are sent from a fake VUB e-mail address, including that of our rector Caroline Pauwels.
These emails were not sent from the VUB, no VUB account was hacked. The cybercriminal faked the VUB e-mail addresses by means of 'spoofing', a technique which unfortunately the VUB can't do much about.
Should you receive this phishing mail, please delete it immediately. Do not open the attachment. If you have already done so, inform the ICT-services so they can scan your system for viruses.
If you receive a reply from someone who received the phishing e-mail in question, please inform him or her that he or she unfortunately received a fake e-mail and that the VUB will do everything possible to avoid such incidents.