Updating Your Direct Deposit

From COH Payroll Services, 9:30 AM:

UPDATING DIRECT DEPOSIT INSTRUCTIONS

Effective immediately and until further notice, employees will no longer be able to update direct deposit instructions via the online Employee Self Service (ESS) portal. Employees needing to update their direct deposit instructions must complete the Direct Deposit form available at http://www.houstontx.gov/ara/payrollforms/directdepositform.pdf and submit it along with a voided check for checking accounts or a preprinted deposit slip for savings accounts to the Payroll Services Division at the help window located at 611 Walker, 2nd floor. Questions or concerns can be addressed to the Payroll Services Help Desk at payroll@houstontx.gov or 832.393.8900.

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This may be the reason why:

From HITS, 4/29:

Information Security Alert: Phishing Scam Targeting Payroll Direct Deposits

What Is Being Done	Important Alert: Phishing Scam Targeting Payroll Direct Deposits
Impacted Service(s)	Payroll Direct Deposits
Impacted Departments/ User Groups	Potential impact to all City employees
Background	A relatively new email phishing scam targeting employee direct deposits is currently in circulation. Many of the attacks follow the same patterns, suggesting that the same threat actors are behind the attacks. The attacks begin with employees receiving spoofed email messages appearing to come from internally trusted sources (e.g., IT, HR, fellow employees). The spoofed messages make a request for the employee to click a link, access a website or answer a few questions, and, ultimately directs the employee to confirm their identity by providing login credentials leading to account compromise. The threat actors then use the compromised account to access payroll portals and reroute direct deposits to accounts they own and control.
Required Actions:	Remain vigilant and look for suspicious email messages; look for incorrect grammar, capitalization, etc. Verify the senders actual email address, rather than just looking at the displayed account name Roll your cursor over the links received via email and look for inconsistencies; if it’s not the website the email claims to be directing you to, then the link is pointing to a fraudulent site Do not provide credentials in response to any email request (including requests appearing to come from system administrators or the HITS Service Desk) Utilize unique, complex passwords for all accounts and avoid using the same password for multiple accounts (e.g., COH domain/email password should be different from SAP/ESS password) When in doubt, do not open, click or respond and contact the HITS Service Desk and report suspicious email messages Stop and Think before you Click to do your part to help keep COH data, information and systems safe!
Notification Plan	HITS will continue to provide updates as additional information becomes available.
Contact	For issues concerning this notification please contact: Phone: 832-393-9800 Portal:  help.houstontx.gov

Cyber Security Awareness Month Tips

From HITS, 7:03AM: 

Cyber Security Awareness Month Tip: Mobile Payments and Banking

Summary	More and more frequently, consumers are using their mobile devices for online banking, payments and shopping. We can now check our bank account balances, deposit a check using a mobile device’s camera, pay bills, transfer money between friends, and make purchases directly on our mobile devices. However, since these activities require users to provide sensitive personal information such as their names, account numbers, email addresses, and passwords, it is important to weigh the perceived benefits and potential risks associated with mobile payments and banking.
Did You Know?	More than half of adults (51 percent) bank online and 32 percent of adults bank online from their mobile device. Young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 years old are leading the mobile banking trend, with 54 percent banking on their mobile devices. 22 percent of all mobile phone owners have made a mobile payment, up from 15 percent in 2012. 62 percent of non-mobile payment users cited concern about the security of the technology as the reason for not using mobile banking or mobile payments.
Simple Tips	Use stronger authentication. Always opt to enable stronger authentication when available, especially for accounts with sensitive information including your email or bank accounts. Stronger authentication helps verify a user has authorized access to an online account. For example, it could be a one-time PIN texted to a mobile device, providing an added layer of security beyond the username and password.   Create strong and complex passwords. Create a password with 8 characters or more and a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols Use unique passwords. Use different passwords for different programs, accounts, and devices. By having multiple passwords, even if attackers do get one of your passwords, they will not have access to all of your accounts. Do not choose options that allow your device to remember your passwords. Check your account statements regularly. Review your banking, credit card, or payment service statements regularly to ensure there are no unauthorized charges or withdrawals. Know your applications. Be sure to review and understand the details of an app before downloading and installing it. Be aware that apps may request access to your location and personal information. Determine what information you want the app to share or transmit. Delete any apps that you do not use regularly to increase your security.