Email Security- Think before Downloading Any Attachment

Almost more than two decades back, email entered the online world and revolutionized the communication industry. Sending personal or professional messages to someone miles away became a few seconds task for online users. However, with time and technology, this mode of communication became vulnerable to threats which led to the increasing concern for email security.

In this post, we will take a look at some valuable email security tactics to help online users stay safe and secure:

Check the Sender – Secure Email Address 

Whenever a phishing scam happens, there are generally two scenarios. First is that the sender of the email is completely unknown to the receiver and in curiosity to know what is inside the email, the receiver opens it up. In the second scenario, the name of the sender resembles someone with whom the receiver is familiar, which makes him get trapped into the scam. It is therefore of extreme importance to give a look at the sender’s email address carefully. 

The Message inside – Secure Email

So, once you are sure about the sender, your next question should be – What does the email contain? It could be a simple message that asks you to open the attachments and review the document. But before you do that, you need to check a few things-

Email Subject Line

If an email states the subject as – “Invoice”, then you should see whether you have ordered anything in the recent past or not. In case, you do not remember anything like that, there’s no point in opening the message.

Lack of Personalization & Details

Email messages with greetings as “Hi” is also an indication of a phishing email. Moreover, no product/company details or mismatch of information in the email address and signature is also a strong indication to never click on attachments.

Check Digital Signature Email

Checking for digital signatures inside an email message is highly recommended in case of corporate communications. For example, if you receive an email from a company, then look out for its digital signature in the email message. In the case of Microsoft Outlook, a red ribbon is included in the message if it is sent by a company having a verified digital signature.

Check the Email Links

Once you have verified everything, it is time to open the attachment. But wait, it could still be a scam. So you need to check the link of the attachment. Simply hover your mouse over the attachment and you will be able to see the destination address. If it leads to something suspicious, then it is a clear indication that the attachment contains a virus or will take you to a rogue website.

With these email security tips, it becomes quite easy to spot a phishing email and save yourself from becoming a victim of a phishing attack.