Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command identified a website posing as the Department of Defense Transition Assistance Program this week.
Upon visiting the phony URL address, the site asks for a visitor’s personal identification information and attempts to download malicious software onto the visitor’s personal computer.
The warning was shared Tuesday by Air Forces Cyber on Facebook. The correct URL for the Transition Assistance Program is https://DoDTAP.mil/.
The fake website used the appropriate acronyms but ended in the .com domain name, which brings users to commercial web addresses.
The .mil and .gov domain names, though, are used for most DoD websites. Exceptions to the rule include recruitment websites, such as goarmy.com.
To protect your home computer, active duty military and civilian employees are encouraged by the DoD to download anti-virus software through the Defense Information Systems Agency using their Common Access Cards.
More information on cyber security best practices can be found on the Air Forces Cyber resources webpage.
The Department of Homeland Security also provides a list of publications for securing home computers and understanding emerging threats in the cyber domain.
Kyle Rempfer was an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and deployed in 2014 to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq.
