This was part of a phishing campaign facilitated by Risk Management in partnership with our IT Department. If this were a real phishing attempt, these actions could have led to our systems, digital information, business records, and personal private information being compromised. Cybercriminals often use phishing to obtain sensitive information such as login credentials, by disguising as a trustworthy organization or reputable person in an email. Those who's credentials were compromised will received information on mandatory training to be completed, please complete this within 7 days. Training can be found at https://security.microsoft.com/trainingassignments. If an email looks suspicious, immediately send it to the help desk for blocking and further instruction. Risk Management will conduct phishing simulations several times throughout the year, so please stay vigilant and verify every email.

 

Socially engineered phishing emails can evade detection by email filters due to their sophistication. These emails often have common characteristics; they are frequently constructed to trigger emotions such as curiosity, sympathy, fear, and greed. Below are several common characteristics of a phishing email:

 

1. Emails Demanding Urgent Action

Emails threatening a negative consequence, or a loss of opportunity unless urgent action is taken, are often phishing emails. Attackers often use this approach to rush recipients into action before they have had the opportunity to study the email for potential flaws or inconsistencies.

 

2. Emails with Bad Grammar and Spelling Mistakes

Another way to spot phishing is bad grammar and spelling mistakes. Many companies apply spell-checking tools to outgoing emails by default to ensure their emails are grammatically correct. Those who use browser-based email clients apply autocorrect or highlight features on web browsers.

 

3. Emails with an Unfamiliar Greeting or Salutation

Emails exchanged between work colleagues usually have an informal salutation. Those that start “Dear,” or contain phrases not normally used in informal conversation, are from sources unfamiliar with the style of office interaction used in your business and should arouse suspicion.

 

4. Inconsistencies in Email Addresses, Links & Domain Names

Another way how to spot phishing is by finding inconsistencies in email addresses, links, and domain names. Does the email originate from an organization corresponded with often? If so, check the sender’s address against previous emails from the same organization. Look to see if a link is legitimate by hovering the mouse pointer over the link to see what pops up. If an email allegedly originates from (say) Google, but the domain name reads something else, report the email as a phishing attack.

 

5. Suspicious Attachments

Most work-related file sharing now takes place via collaboration tools such as SharePoint, OneDrive, or Dropbox. Therefore, internal emails with attachments should always be treated suspiciously – especially if they have an unfamiliar extension or one commonly associated with malware (.zip, .exe, .scr, etc.).

 

6. Emails Requesting Login Credentials, Payment Information or Sensitive Data

Emails originating from an unexpected or unfamiliar sender that request login credentials, payment information or other sensitive data should always be treated with caution. Spear phishers can forge login pages to look like the real thing and send an email containing a link that directs the recipient to the fake page. Whenever a recipient is redirected to a login page, or told a payment is due, they should refrain from inputting information unless they are 100% certain the email is legitimate.

 

7. Too Good to Be True Emails

Too good to be true emails are those which incentivize the recipient to click on a link or open an attachment by claiming there will be a reward of some nature. If the sender of the email is unfamiliar or the recipient did not initiate the contact, the likelihood is this is a phishing email.