Social Engineering Red Flags Protect Yourself From Phishing
• Did I receive an email that I normally would get during regular business hours, but it was sent at an unusual time like 3 a.m.? DATE TO • The sender included an email attachment that I was not expecting or that makes no sense in relation to the email message. (This sender doesn’t ordinarily send me this type of attachment). • I see an attachment with a possibly dangerous file type.
FROM
• I don’t recognize the sender’s email address as someone I ordinarily communicate with. • This email is from someone outside my organization and it’s not related to my job responsibilities. • This email was sent from someone inside the organization or from a customer, vendor, or partner and is very unusual or out of character. • Is the sender’s email address from a suspicious domain (like microsoft-support.com)? • I don’t know the sender personally and they were not vouched for by someone I trust. • I don’t have a business relationship nor any past communications with the sender. • This is an unexpected or unusual email with an embedded hyperlink or an attachment from someone I haven’t communicated with recently.
SUBJECT • Did I get an email with a subject line that is irrelevant or does not match the message content? • Is the email message a reply to something I never sent or requested? ATTACHMENTS • The sender included an email attachment that I was not expecting or that makes no sense in relation to the email message. (This sender doesn’t ordinarily send me this type of attachment). • I see an attachment with a possibly dangerous file type.
From: hr@yourorganization.cnet To: judy@yourorganization.net Date: Tuesday, December 3:00 AM Subject: Survey Hi Judy,
Now that our new CFO has been selected and starting soon, I’m asking everyone to fill out this quick survey so all the accounting functions can be captured. It should take you only a few minutes. Must be completed by the end of the day. Click here to take the [Survey] or download the attachment. Thanks in advance for your cooperation!
CONTENT • Is the sender asking me to click on a link or open an attachment to avoid a negative consequence or to gain something of value? • Is the email out of the ordinary, or does it have bad grammar or spelling errors? • Is the sender asking me to click a link or open up an attachment that seems odd or illogical? • Do I have an uncomfortable gut feeling about the sender’s request to open an attachment or click a link? • Is the email asking me to look at a compromising or embarrassing picture of myself or someone I know?
HYPERLINKS
• I hover my mouse over a hyperlink that’s displayed in the email message, but the link-to address is for a different website. (This is a big red flag). • I received an email that only has long hyperlinks with no further information, and the rest of the email is completely blank. • I received an email with a hyperlink that is a misspelling of a known website. For instance, www.bankofarnerica.com — the “m” is really two characters — “r” and “n.”
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Source: KnowBe4.com
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