February 25, 2008

Avoid Phishing, Spyware and Viruses From Email

Social engineering is one of the primary techniques used by criminals to
manipulate people these days... Don't be fooled!
  1. NEVER reply to an email that says URGENT. Not only is email not a
    guaranteed service, anything urgent probably deserves a different form of
    communication. Call the sender on the phone and find out.
  2. NEVER click on a URL in an unknown email. You may be taken to a website
    that is totally unrelated to the message, and worse, it may automatically
    download a virus.
  3. NEVER assume the "From:" field is legitimate. If you can't verify the
    sender, then chances are good that they are not legitimate.
  4. NEVER forward a suspicious email to a friend. When in doubt, just delete
    it.
  5. NEVER open attachments from your email without scanning them first for
    viruses.

What to look for:

  • The "From" field appears to be legitimate but isn't.
  • A link asking you to click and validate your personal information.
  • Included images and logos from a legitimate organization
  • Spelling errors or odd looking characters
  • Special characters like $$ and __ or @@ with a link.
  • Random names or email addresses in the body of the message.
  • Subject headings that have absolutely nothing to do with the company or person it came from.

http://www.mdorn.com/