Global Ransomware Epidemic: Know the email tactics used by cyber criminals

With yet another high-profile breach in security in our recent past (Equifax), you now have to assume that your personally identifiable information (PII) has already been compromised. Whether you are a consumer, business owner or an employee, you need to continue practicing a heightened level of skepticism.

As it relates to an email that you receive, there are 3 potential areas for you to take notice:

The email header-

1. Did the email come from a stranger?
2. Is the email addressed to you and others in your organization that have last names that start with the same letter?
3. Was the email sent at a time you would not normally receive communication from this person?
4. Is the subject of the email inconsistent with the body of the email?

The email attachment or hyperlinks-

1. Did you know that any attachment other than a .txt file can potentially be a virus?
2. Look for any misspellings in the hyperlinks. Hover your mouse over hyperlinks for inconsistencies between the website and the hyperlink.
3. Remember: If you aren’t expecting an attachment, consider contacting the sender or establishment directly, before opening the file.

The email content-

1. Are you being asked to click on a link or attachment to avoid a negative situation?
2. Are you being asked to click on a link because you won a prize in a contest you did not enter?
3. Cyber criminals could be spying on you using digital surveillance tactics or watching your social media to get personal information, making the phishing emails more believable.

These tactics are a common occurrence for a cyber criminal to trick you. Couple this with the assumption that your personally identifiable information has been compromised, and the task to recognize such phishing attempts becomes more difficult.

As intimidating as this may seem, Revolution Group is here to assist you through the recent release of our managed security services practice. Our practice provides enterprise-level protection for your users, devices, and data. We partner with you by providing guidance to firm up technology policies, identifying and remediating any weaknesses in your network, and most importantly, train your users.

For more information about Revolution Group’s managed security services practice, contact your account manager or call us at 614-212-1111.