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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
Is the content relevant to your relationship with the sender?-
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!
