Tech Rage IT’s Matt Rose Featured on Fox 35 Orlando Discussing UCF Email Hack Incident

University of Central Florida (UCF), where hackers infiltrated a vendor's email, leading to a financial loss exceeding $100,000. The attackers further complicated the situation by launching an "Email Bomb" attack, flooding the system with spam emails and causing vital communications to be missed—communications that might have alerted UCF to the fraudulent activity sooner.

During the segment, Rose offered key strategies for businesses to improve their email security:

• Verify Changes by Phone: Rose advised businesses to always confirm changes to payment or HR systems over the phone, using a known contact number rather than information found in email signatures. This simple step can serve as a robust defense against potential fraud.
• Exercise Skepticism: He urged a cautious approach to emails involving sensitive changes, emphasizing that a healthy level of skepticism can help prevent falling victim to scams.
• Verify Payroll Requests: Rose highlighted the importance of double-checking payroll change requests, noting that attackers often impersonate employees to redirect paychecks to unauthorized accounts.

Rose stressed that while attackers are constantly evolving their tactics, most cyber attacks are preventable. Engaging in Cyber Security Awareness Training can significantly enhance an organization’s ability to defend against such threats.

"This incident at UCF is a critical wake-up call for businesses of all sizes," Rose said. "It's vital to be vigilant about email security, not just within your organization but also with the partners and vendors you work with."

Tech Rage IT continues to lead in providing comprehensive IT services and solutions, helping businesses safeguard their critical data and infrastructure.

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For more information, please contact:

For Tech Rage IT: Erica Martinez-Rose, 407-278-5664 ext. 102, Erica@TechRageIT.com.

For the UCF Business Incubation Program: Rafael Caamano, 407-408-4297 rafael.caamano@ucf.edu or Alan Byrd, Alan Byrd & Associates, 407-415-8470, alan@byrdconnections.com

About Tech Rage IT: Tech Rage IT is a woman-owned technology firm providing managed IT services, VoIP phone services, IT consulting and more to the frustrated, defeated and disappointed businesses craving more from their technology investment.  

Tech Rage IT’s registered tagline “We Prevent Tech Rage” speaks to their laser focus of being a recognized leader in reducing the raging-headaches that employers and their employees face every single day due to technology problems, such as inconsistent or high IT support costs, unreliable or outdated technology, faulty or slow devices, and ransomware or lost files.  Tech Rage IT, headquartered in Winter Springs, has been serving the area since 2015.  Find more information about how Tech Rage IT is preventing Tech Rage at www.TechRageIT.com. 

About the UCF Business Incubation Program: The University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program is a community resource that provides early-stage companies with the tools, training and infrastructure to become financially stable, high-growth/impact enterprises. Since 1999, this award-winning program has provided vital business development resources resulting in over 300 local startup companies reaching their potential faster and graduating into the community where they continue to grow and positively impact the local economy.

With nine facilities throughout the region, the UCF Business Incubation Program is an economic development partnership between the University of Central Florida, the Corridor, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia Counties, and the cities of Eustis, Kissimmee, Orlando and Winter Springs. In 2023, current incubator clients supported over 1,000 employees and generated over $120 million in revenue.  Nineteen companies graduated from the program and remained in the local community. For more information, visit  www.incubator.ucf.edu.