the official logo of Chicago Public Schools in white against a transparent background. On the left side, there is a circular graphic featuring three silhouettes: a small child with a backpack, an older student, and a figure in a graduation cap and gown holding up a diploma, symbolizing educational progress and achievement. To the right of the graphic, the words “Chicago Public Schools” appear stacked in clean, modern lowercase letters. The design conveys a commitment to education and student success.
white text on a transparent background displaying the words “Cybersecurity News News” in a modern, sans-serif font. Below the main heading, there is a tagline that appears overlapping and slightly jumbled: “Keeping you safer at school and home,” although the text is duplicated and misaligned, making it appear cluttered and harder to read. The overall graphic emphasizes cybersecurity awareness for both school and home settings but would benefit from improved text spacing for clarity.
black text on a transparent background that reads “Got a Phish?” in large, bold letters, suggesting a question about suspicious emails. Directly underneath, in smaller, lighter gray text, is an email address: “reportphishing@cps.edu,” indicating where to report phishing attempts. The overall design is simple and clear, promoting awareness and encouraging Chicago Public Schools staff or students to report phishing emails for cybersecurity safety.
  • In this edition: Why you’re getting so many scam emails and texts, and what to do about it.
  • With the help of AI, romance scammers are becoming much more dangerous.
  • Here’s how you can tell if an online store is safe.

Cybersecurity News You Can Use

Helpful Browser Extensions

Security researchers have identified 18 popular browser extensions, used for tasks such as translating pages, downloading videos, and tracking prices, that secretly run malware campaigns that track users’ online activity to sell the data to third-party brokers.  Mozilla and Microsoft have pulled them from their stores, but anyone who installed them needs to uninstall them manually. 

  • Page Screenshot Clipper
  • Full Page Screenshot
  • Convert Everything
  • Translate Selected Text with Google
  • YouTube Download
  • RSS Feed
  • AdBlocker Ultimate
  • AdBlocker
  • Color Enhancer
  • Floating Player – PiP Mode
  • One Key Translate
  • Cool Cursor
  • Google Translate in Right Click
  • Translate Selected Text with Right Click
  • Amazon Price History
  • Save Image to Pinterest on Right Click
  • Instagram Downloader
  • Urban VPN Proxy

Even when an extension is available from an official app store, only download it if you recognize the company it’s from, read user reviews, and limit the app’s permissions.

Phish of the Week

The password management app LastPass is warning customers about a new phishing campaign. The email impersonates a LastPass message about a 24‑hour “vault backup” maintenance notice. It was sent over the MLK Jr. holiday, designed to create urgency and catch people while many offices were closed. These emails are fake. LastPass reminds users that it will never ask for master passwords or demand immediate action under tight deadlines.

Update Your Passwords

Feb A Logos

Users’ passwords from these organizations have recently been found for sale on the dark web.

This latest trove of Gmail passwords is in addition to passwords found for sale late last year. Gmail users should update their passwords with passphrases at least 15 characters long and not used anywhere else.

If you do business with any of these companies, change your account password and use two-factor authentication wherever possible.

CPS | Romance Scams
Chicago Public Schools logo showing silhouettes of a young student, a teenager, and a graduate holding a diploma inside a circle next to the organization name.

If you think you’ve clicked on a phishing email,
immediately change your password via the
Account Management Portal at https://portal.id.cps.edu
and notify us immediately by emailing
[email protected] so we can check it out.

One more thing...

One More Thing | Feb A Cartoon
Ask Us About Cyber

How can I determine if an advertised product on Facebook will be shipped from another country?

Before buying something, look for a shipping policy that mentions 10–30 business-day delivery, “international warehouse,” or customs/VAT fees. That’s a red flag.

 

Here’s another way: copy the product’s web address and paste it into a search engine or AI platform like ChatGPT or Gemini. Then ask whether the retailer’s web address is a scam and where it’s based.

I got an alert saying a “new device” signed in to my PayPal account. What should I do?

If you just logged in to PayPal, it’s not necessarily a red flag. But if you didn’t, visit paypal.com or open the PayPal app, sign in, and check your recent activity. If you see anything you don’t recognize, report it in PayPal’s Resolution Center, then change your password and make sure two‑factor authentication is turned on.

 

Even if everything looks normal, visit Settings → Security → “Manage your logins” and delete any devices in the list that you don’t recognize.

Send us your cybersecurity question for possible use in a future newsletter.

Cyber Content Archive: Always Available

A conceptual digital illustration shows a large white smartphone lying flat on a white surface. Emerging vertically from the phone’s screen are several tall, white bookshelves arranged in a row. Each bookshelf is filled with colorful books and magazines, representing a vast digital library. The shelves appear three-dimensional and realistic, giving the impression that a physical library is coming to life from within the device. The phone’s details — including the home button, charging port, and side buttons — are visible, emphasizing the connection between modern technology and access to unlimited information. The image symbolizes e-libraries, digital learning, and the convenience of mobile access to knowledge.

Check out our previous newsletters here.

Cyber cartoon © 2026 CartoonStock | Original content © 2026 Aware Force LLC