What can you do?<\/strong><\/h3>\nThis is Subba’s stuff, but you can fight back. If you (and your colleagues or employees) look for the signs of phishing and practice basic email hygiene, staying safe is actually pretty easy. The best way to combat phishing is just exercising common sense.<\/p>\n
Here are a few tips to keep you on your toes.<\/p>\n
Do not share personal information! EVER!<\/strong><\/p>\nThis really cannot be emphasized enough. Never respond to an email with personal information, financial information or passwords. Ever. Think about the risk-to-reward ratio. Is the upside of quickly sending this info worth the risk? Remember \u2014 NO reputable company will EVER ask for these details in an email.<\/p>\n
Visit websites directly from browsers and bookmarks \u2013 not email.<\/strong><\/p>\nWhenever possible, avoid clicking a link in an email to login to an account. It\u2019s easy to misrepresent where that link may be taking you. A link might say \u201cPayPal.com,\u201d but it\u2019s really pointing at \u201cPeyPals.com.\u201d<\/p>\n
A quick way to double check a link\u2019s actual destination is to move your mouse over it. In most cases, your browser or email application will show you the true path.<\/p>\n
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If you\u2019re logging in to your bank or other website, access the site directly instead of clicking a link in an email. Be especially suspicious of emails asking you to click a link to confirm your account information.<\/p>\n
Double-check attachments before you click or download them.<\/strong><\/p>\nBe careful with attachments. Word documents and Excel spreadsheets may contain macros or viruses that compromise your computer. These files can automatically download malware or direct you to malicious websites. If an email or attachment looks even the least bit suspicious (misspellings? See below), confirm its origin with the sender. Call, text or message them before you click.<\/p>\n
Also, it is critical to have anti-virus software installed and up-to-date on your computer.<\/p>\n
Watch for misspellings and urgency.<\/strong><\/p>\nAlthough it\u2019s not a hard and fast rule, poor grammar can often be a tell-tale sign of phishing. Look for unusual use of words, misspelling or even strange greetings (Hello Madam!). Also, be suspicious of an email that evokes a sense of urgency and asks you to do something right away.<\/p>\n
When it comes to wire transfers, be extra vigilant.<\/strong><\/p>\nThe vast majority of people do not wire money as part of their day-to-day duties. So if you\u2019re asked for a wire transfer, that should immediately raise a red flag. Double-check the request, OUTSIDE OF EMAIL, before you do anything. If you\u2019re in the business of transferring money, never rely on email as a secure communication channel for these requests. Always confirm through alternative means.<\/p>\n
When in doubt\u2026 DO NOTHING!<\/strong><\/p>\nBeing unsure and still clicking around suspicious emails can be disastrous. Take the\u00a0time to be vigilant; confirming an email\u2019s origin and intent can save you, and your company, a ton of grief (and maybe even money). If you have even an iota of doubt \u2013 DON\u2019T CLICK\u00a0ANYTHING. Delete the email, and pick up the phone.<\/p>\n
Maybe more than ever before, the old adage holds true: when it comes to email and phishing it is truly better to be safe than sorry.<\/p>\n
For more information or if you have any queries, please feel free to write an email to us @ support@netandhost.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By now, most everyone has heard of \u201cphishing,\u201d the act of defrauding an online account holder by posing as a legitimate company or person. Simply put, it\u2019s when bad guys pretend to be someone or something they\u2019re not to steal from you or your company. They\u2019ll use \u201cspoofed\u201d email addresses, websites and attachments to convince […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/netandhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/netandhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/netandhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/netandhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/netandhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=242"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/netandhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":244,"href":"https:\/\/netandhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242\/revisions\/244"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/netandhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/netandhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/netandhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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