Example of Phishing Email | Be wary of Password Expiration Emails Notification
Sinokap would like to share a typical phishing email attack case we received recently. The hacker pretended to be an official password expiration reminder sent by Microsoft Outlook, asking users to scan the QR code and continue to use the same password. The purpose is to steal your login.
As a professional IT Support team, Sinokap uses real cases to summarize the dangers of phishing emails and puts forward some suggestions to help you better identify various types of Phishing emails.
The dangers of phishing emails
1、Information theft
The main goal of phishing emails is to trick victims into providing their login credentials. If you scan the QR code in the email and enter your password, an attacker will be able to obtain your Outlook account information, potentially leading to personal information disclosure or identity theft.
2、Malware spread
Some phishing emails may contain malicious attachments or links that, once clicked or downloaded, may infect your computer with malware, resulting in data loss or system crashes.
3、Economic property losses
By obtaining your login credentials, an attacker can access your mail or cloud storage and obtain sensitive information, such as bank account information, resulting in financial losses.
How to deal with phishing emails
1、Verify the e-mail sender carefully
Check the sender’s address to make sure it matches the contact details of an official organization or individual. Don’t trust official-looking email addresses, as attackers can impersonate the sender.
2、Be aware of unusual grammatical or spelling errors
Phishing emails often contain grammatical errors, misspellings, or strange phrases. These are potential warning signs.
3、Do not click on suspicious links or attachments
If you are not sure about the authenticity of the email, please do not click on the link or download the attachment in the email, and do not scan the QR code in this case. These can lead to malware infections.
4、Use 2FA for secondary authentication
Enable two-factor authentication for your account for added security. This means that in addition to your password, you will need to provide additional authentication information to log in. For more information about the meaning of two-factor authentication and how to set it up, you can click here to learn more.
5、Contact the sender to verify the information
If you receive a suspicious email, do not reply via email. Instead, contact the sender using a contact method independent of the email (such as a phone number on an official website) to verify the authenticity of the email. In this case, you can contact the company’s internal IT technicians and ask them for secondary confirmation.
Common examples of phishing emails
1、Bank and Financial Institution Fraud
Attackers pose as banks or financial institutions and ask for your personal or bank account information.
2、Social media and email platforms
Attackers pretend to be social media platforms (such as Facebook, and Instagram) or email providers (such as Gmail, and Outlook) and ask you to reset your password or provide personal information.
3、Prizes and Contest Winners
Falsely inform you that you have won a prize or contest and ask you to provide personal information or make payment to claim your prize.
4、Fake IT Support Team
The attacker pretends to be a technical support or customer service team, claims to have a problem that needs your help, and then asks for your account information.
5、Impersonating a government agency or charity
Pretends to be a government agency or charity and asks for donations or sensitive information.
What is the form of Outlook's official password expiration prompt?
Outlook’s official reminder of password expiration will usually remind users in a safe and formal way. Please click here to learn more.
As a professional IT service provider, Sinokap’s responsibility is to help users learn how to identify and respond to phishing emails. I would also like to remind everyone to stay vigilant at all times! Don’t trust uncertain emails. If you have accidentally clicked on a phishing email, please disconnect from the Internet immediately! And contact professional IT technicians for processing.
We also conduct regular IT security training and provide the latest security information to increase employees’ alertness to phishing attacks and ensure the company’s data and information security. If your company has needs, please contact us!
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