What you need to know about Spam Email, Phishing, and Other Threats to your Inbox.

What you need to know about Spam Email, Phishing, and Other Threats to your Inbox.

These days we are all reliant on email as a fast and easy way to communicate, with everyone from family and friends, through to work colleagues and businesses that we deal with. With around 50% of the world’s email traffic consisting of spam, it’s never been more important to secure your inbox.

There are several different types of threats that are targeted via email and it’s important to be aware of them, in order to be on your guard.

Spam is a familiar foe: most of us will have received unsolicited advertising or hoax charity appeals. Spam often contains viruses or spyware which can threaten your computer. They are blanket attacks, often using software that generates thousands of potential email addresses or sent to email address lists bought from other spammers. Be sure to never respond to a spam message, as it will confirm to the criminals that they have hit upon a real email address.

Phishing emails are sent out in their thousands by criminals hoping to trick people into disclosing valuable personal information. Often phishing emails may resemble those sent by legitimate banks and other organisations and contain links that, once clicked, take you to a counterfeit webpage. Using a technique known as Spoofing, these fakes can be very sophisticated dupes, so be mindful of any emails that come from an email address at odds with the supposed organisation’s name. Similarly, be cautious of emails with a link, or any attempts to solicit your password or other personal details.

Spear Phishing is a targeted attack of a similar nature, directed at an individual or organisation with the goal of stealing data or implanting malware. Criminals research their targets to make their attacks appear credible, so be mindful of how much you share about yourself on social networking sites.

Fortunately, help is at hand. We can help to maintain the security of your inbox, with services such as Hornet Security’s Spam Filter and Malware Protection. With dynamic virus filtering for incoming and outgoing email, and link tracking to prevent the risk of clicking on a dangerous URL, you can rest assured that your emails are safe and your computers and networks are protected.

For help with IT Security Threats, contact Andromeda Solutions Today.