A Cybersecurity Scenario: Can You Help the Detective?

By Assoc Technology Analyst Hannah Hardee

Meet Alice. She’s a Southwest Coheart, and it’s a typical Monday. Alice logs into her computer and starts reading emails. She tries to get through her inbox quickly before her morning meetings begin and clicks on a link that takes her to a weird website. Short on time, she decides she’ll figure it out when she returns to her desk and continues with her day.

Later that day, Alice realizes her computer is unlocked and opened on a webpage she’s never visited. Additionally, she notices papers shuffled on her desk. Alice blames the odd shifting of things and the weird website on herself—possibly visiting the website absentmindedly and because her desk is often messy. In a panic, she checks for the password she keeps on a sticky note under her keyboard to make sure it’s still there, and it is. Whew!

The Cybersecurity Team received an alert about stolen SWA CONFIDENTIAL information and they trace it back to Alice’s IP address. After asking Alice what happened, she explains her day to the Team. Use your cyber detective skills to aid the Cybersecurity Team! Develop your theory on what happened by choosing three clues below and think about advice for Alice to prevent this unfortunate scenario.

• Left workstation unlocked | Advice for Alice: Always lock your workstation when you leave your computer.

• Alice shared credit card information online | Advice for Alice: Never share personal information on unsecured or non-trusted websites, whether for another person or yourself.

• The unknown threat actor found her password on her desk | Advice for Alice: Always keep a clean desk and NEVER keep your passwords where others can find them.

• Opened a link in a phishing email | Advice for Alice: If an email looks suspicious, report the email with the “report suspicious email” PhishAlarm button in all Outlook platforms.

• Hacker guessed her password | Advice for Alice: Always use a strong password; don’t use common phrases or information others may know about you, including a birthday or pet name. Did you figure out what happened? Check your answers by visiting the Cybersecurity Training, Education, and Awareness SWALife page to see if your hunch was correct!

Thankfully this is a sample scenario, but inadvertently sharing Southwest or personal data could happen to any Coheart. Whether you’re up in the air, at a computer, maintaining our planes, or wherever, THANK YOU for taking a shared responsibility in keeping our Coheart and Customer data cyber-safe and secure!

Left workstation unlocked

Advice for Alice: Always your workstation when leave your computer.

Alice shared credit card information online unlocked

Advice for Alice: Never personal information unsecured or non-trusted websites, whether for person or yourself.

Always lock when you card

Never share on non-trusted for another

The unknown threat actor found her password on her desk

Advice for Alice: Always keep a clean desk and NEVER keep your passwords where others can find them.

Hacker guessed her password

Advice for Alice: Always use a strong password; don’t use common phrases or information others may know about you, including a birthday or pet name.

Opened a link in a phishing email

Advice for Alice: If an email looks suspicious, report the email with the “report suspicious email” PhishAlarm button in all Outlook platforms.