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SPAM & PHISHING

Cybercriminals have become very savvy in their attempts to lure people in and get you to click on an infected link or to open an infected attachment.

The email they send can look just like it comes from a financial institution, e-commerce site, government agency or any other service or business.
It often urges you to act quickly, because your account has been compromised, your order cannot be fulfilled or another matter. 

If you are unsure whether an email request is legitimate, try to verify it with these steps:

Spam

Spam is the electronic equivalent of junk mail.  The term refers to unsolicited, bulk – and often unsolicited – email.

Here are some ways to reduce spam:

What is Phishing?

Phishing attacks use email or malicious websites (clicking on a link) to collect personal and financial information or infect your machine with malware and viruses.


What is Spear Phishing?

Spear phishing is highly specialized attacks against a specific target or small group of targets to collect information or gain access to systems.

For example, a cybercriminal may launch a spear phishing attack against a business to gain credentials to access a list of customers. From that attack, they may launch a phishing attack against the customers of the business. Since they have gained access to the network, the email they send may look even more authentic and because the recipient is already customer of the business, the email may more easily make it through filters and the recipient maybe more likely to open the email.

The cybercriminal can use even more devious social engineering efforts such as indicating there is an important technical update or new lower pricing to lure people.


Spam & Phishing on Social Networks

Spam, phishing and other scams aren’t limited to just email. They’re also prevalent on social networking sites. The same rules apply on social networks: When in doubt, throw it out. This rule applies to links in online ads, status updates, tweets and other posts.

Here are ways to report spam and phishing on social networks:

How Do You Avoid Being a Victim?

What to Do if You Think You are a Victim?

In Summary:

 

some content reposted from staysafeonline.org

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