Digital Security Tips for TCG Clients
Quick Guide and Tips to Spot and Prevent Spoofing and Phishing
By Brad Deflin, CEO, Total Digital Security
Email phishing and spoofing is when the bad guys aim to hack the human, versus the technology they use. Exploits are increasingly sophisticated and using:
- Combinations of email, text, and voice calls to add a sense of credibility to the exploit
- Accurate information the receiver recognizes and written with a “voice” that mimics a legitimate sender
- Deep fake media that convinces the victim the sender and contents of the email are legitimate
Email phishing and spoofing exploits are rampant and getting worse.
YOU are your last line of defense and must be on your toes when at your inbox.
RULE #1:
- Look. Think!
RULE #2:
- Treat every email as guilty until proven innocent.
RULE #3:
- “When in doubt, delete it out.”
Spotting the Spoof:
Use these “social engineering indicators” to spot the spoof.
- Spelling and layout – a message with misspellings, poor grammar and sentence structure, and inconsistent formatting is a sign of a possible phishing attack.
- The sender’s address is suspicious – cybercriminals will often mimic the address of a legitimate business when sending you an email or text.
- Spoofed hyperlink URLs and websites – links in the email do not match the text that appears when you hover over them. Malicious websites use a variation in the site’s spelling or a different domain.
- Suspicious attachment – cybercriminals often use a false sense of urgency or importance to persuade the user to download or open a malicious attachment.
For more information about protecting your privacy, digital security, and personal safety, please contact Total Digital Security at info@totaldigitalsecurity.com.