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Phish Phinder

Tell-tale signs of a (potentially) successful email phishing scam

Hackers use phishing emails to obtain your:

Usernames
Passwords
Credit card

All it takes is for you to take the bait by:

Opening an attachment
Clicking a malicious link
Entering sensitive information

Anatomy of a phishing email

Look for any of the following suspicious elements when opening your next email.

Header

  • 1. Does the name match the sender? Have you received an email from this address before?
  • 2. Is the email directed at undisclosed-recipients? Was it sent to several addresses?
  • 3. Is this a normal time/date for this sender to have emailed you?
  • 4. Is the subject something relevant to my relationship with the sender? Is the subject line requesting my immediate response or promising me a reward?

Body

  • 5. Is this the senders usual greeting?
  • 6. Look out for typos.
  • 7. Hover over a link before clicking. Does the URL look right? Has a letter been omitted? Are they using .net when it should be .com?
  • 8. If the sender is asking for private information you should immediately flag it.

Red flags

  • Warning Is the content relevant to your relationship with the sender?
  • Warning Is the issue really as urgent as the sender is implying?

Footer

  • 9. Never offer your login information into a portal, especially if unsolicited.
  • 10. Do not open unexpected attachments, especially when the file type is a .pif, .scr or .exe
  • 11. Does the salutation match the sender? Is this how they usually sign off?

Don't take the bait

1 in 10 Phishing emails succeed

Remember:

  • A little scrutiny goes a long way
  • Be aware of the warning signs and don’t ignore them
  • If it doesn’t look right, it probably isn’t
  • Take a closer look before taking action

Keep your anti-spam or anti-virus software up to date.

Secure your network traffic to mitigate phishing risk at your company!

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