October 2013: Cyber Security Awareness Month
One of the primary ways hackers spread malware is through phishing emails. These emails look just like an email you’d receive from a trusted source like a social network, bank, or popular website, but when you click on an infected link or open infected attachments, your computer is compromised.
Warning signs in an email:
- Supposedly official emails being sent from public email addresses (@gmail.com, @yahoo.com, etc.)
- Unsolicited attachments
- Generic greetings (ex. “Dear User”)
- Spelling and grammar mistakes
- Links to unrecognized sites or slightly misspelled sites
- Threats or enticements that create a sense of urgency
- Toll free numbers in suspicious emails that do not match known numbers
Email Best Practices
- Never give out personal or sensitive information based on an email request
- Don’t trust links or attachments in unsolicited emails
- Hover over links in email messages to verify a link’s actual destination, even if the link comes from a trusted source
- Type in website addresses, rather than using links from unsolicited emails
- Be suspicious of phone numbers in emails. Use the phone number found on your card or statement or in a trusted directory instead
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