Compromised Account Settings

If your Chico State account gets compromised, follow these steps to secure your account.

Quick Links: | What is a Compromised Account? | Changing your Password | Checking your Settings |

What is a Compromised Account? 

A compromised account status occurs when campus systems report suspicious login or email activity on your account and either Information Security or IT Support Services compromise and disable your account. A notification is sent to your personal email address and phone number listed in Account Center. 

Usually, an account becomes compromised after a phishing attack. This could be either because your credentials were submitted to a malicious form or your personal account data was hacked. Read our article about How to Identify Phishing Emails to know what to look out for and how to protect yourself. 

Before you proceed, please note that you must contact IT Support Services to enable your account before you can reset your password or attempt to sign in. 
 
Please be prepared with your mobile device, username, and ID number, and be prepared to sit down and instantly change your Chico State password. If you are unable to reset your password, your account will remain disabled until you are able to do so. 

Changing your Password

The first step in securing your account is changing your Chico State password. The IT Support Services technician will run through this process with you. Please follow the instructions on our Knowledge Base here for how to Reset Chico State Password (Portal Password).

NOTE: After changing your password through the Chico State Portal, it can take up to an hour before you are able to sign into Microsoft Outlook. If you are unable to sign in after changing your password, please wait and try again later. If the issue persists, call IT Support Services at 530-898-4357.

Checking your Account Settings

When Information Security or IT Support Services disable your account, we instantly take the following security actions: 

• Revoke current login sessions
• Check and disable account forwarding
• Check and remove email signatures
• Check and remove inbox rules and sweep settings

Once you can sign into your Chico State email, you will need to take the following steps: 

1. Sign in to your Chico State email on a web browser (Chrome, Firefox, etc.) this cannot be done from a desktop app or a mobile app.
2. Once you can view your inbox, click on the settings gear in the top right corner. 
3. The following settings should be checked:
   • Under Mail > Compose and reply: Email Signature
     • Make sure that this is either blank or has your email signature
     • You can use the Email Signature Generator to create a new signature
   • Under Mail > Rules
     • Make sure this is either blank or only has rules you have created
   • Under Mail > Sweep
     • This should be blank
   • Under Mail > Junk Email
     • Check both Safe Senders and Blocked Senders 
   • Under Mail > Forwarding 
     • Make sure forwarding is disabled
     • It is against Chico State Executive Memorandum 23-019 to forward emails outside of the university. 

 Still need help? Contact IT Support Services for further assistance.
  
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