Design Data Corporation’s Stay Safe Campaign will cover best practices on security. Our first topic:
Email – Spam and Phishing
- Never open an attachment unless you are expecting it, even if it is from a known contact.
- Never click on links contained in an email unless you were expecting someone to email you a specific link.
- If you are not expecting an email, it’s best to proceed with caution even if it appears to be from a familiar source – reach out to the person to confirm if this is a legitimate email.
- Always confirm the “From” email address is legitimate and does not contain typos or extra characters.
- Malicious emails often appear to look like they are coming from a bank or financial institution, government agency, e-commerce sites, or other businesses or services.
- If you receive an email you were not expecting or something seems suspicious, contact the company directly to verify. If it’s a business or sender you are familiar with use the contact information you have for them rather than the information provided in the email. Alternately if it is from an unfamiliar sender, search for the company online.
- Often malicious email will have a sense of urgency saying an account has been compromised, an order or delivery cannot be completed, or other urgent matters. These tactics are used trying to trick someone into acting quickly – don’t take the bait!
- Never reveal personal or financial information in an email.
