Can you correctly identify phishing emails?

Please take 5 minutes to read this.  Phishing is a major cause of infection in SOHO/SMB space.  I strongly recommend readers invest the time to learn more about phishing scams & hos to spot a phish.  Make sure to share that knowledge with family, friends & co-workers.

From Help Net Security:

Can you correctly identify phishing emails?

An Intel Security quiz presented ten emails and asked respondents to identify which of the emails were phishing attempts designed to steal personal information and which were legitimate. Of the approximately 19,000 survey respondents from 144 countries, only 3% were able to correctly identify every example correctly and 80% of all respondents misidentified at least one of the phishing emails, which is all it takes to fall victim to an attack.

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To better protect yourself from becoming a victim of a phishing scam, Davis offers some advice.

Do:

• Keep your security software and browsers up to date
• Hover over links to identify obvious fakes; make sure that an embedded link is taking you to the exact website it purports to be
• Take your time and inspect emails for obvious red flags: misspelled words, incorrect URL domains, unprofessional and suspicious visuals and unrecognized senders
• Instead of clicking on a link provided in an email, visit the website of the company that allegedly sent the email to make sure the deal being advertised is also on the retailer’s homepage.

Don’t:

• Click on any links in any email sent from unknown or suspicious senders
• Send an email that looks suspicious to friends or family as this could spread a phishing attack to unsuspecting loved ones
• Download content that your browser or security software alerts you may be malicious
• Give away personal information like your credit card number, home address, or social security number to a site or e-mail address you think may be suspicious.