Email is our connection to the world. If you do not use appropriate security measures, you may be the victim of attacks by cyber-criminals. In this post, I explain how you can prevent the theft of personal data via email messages. According to the report carried out by the “FBI” on online illicit activities, there were 241,324 phishing attacks last year.
Phishing definition
The word phishing comes from English fishing. It is a type of scam through which an attacker tries to steal personal data. The most widely used channels are:
How do phishing messages work? Phishing emails or sites may ask you to provide personal data such as:
- username and password, including credential changes;
- tax code;
- current account number and account access data;
- personal Identification Number (PIN);
- date of birth.
Email messages from a Known User: Spear Phishing
The spear phisher bases his actions on the familiarity of people with many aspects of daily life. He knows your name, email address, and some other private information. Customize greetings in messages or create a familiar sender address. Because messages disguise a known sender, this causes you to provide the required information.
Spear phishing emails may contain malicious software such as Malware or exploit some browser flaws.
Fake emails from the Revenue Agency
One of the last cases of spear phishing, dating back to August 2020, is false emails from the Revenue Agency. In fraudulent emails, you are invited to download a form to request a partial refund of the TV fee. In another type of email, taxpayers are asked to regularize their position by downloading a special form and paying a certain amount—the emails end with some telephone numbers relating to the Revenue offices.
In a press release, the Agency warns taxpayers not to open the relevant annexes. All the information contained in the emails in question is false.
How to prevent theft of personal data?
To reduce the chance of being a victim of personal data theft, you can follow these three simple rules.
1. Check the integrity of the email.
Check the sender of the email before downloading attachments or clicking on malicious links. especially:
- if the email has an attachment and the sender is unknown, avoid doing any action;
- If the sender is a collaborator or a known sender, it is a good thing to check the integrity of the submission. If the colleague has an infected inbox, the virus tries to spread by sending the malicious package to other users.
2.Verify the security of links in your email and attachments
To verify the security of a site or web page in the emails, check the reliability of the attachment: explore the format of the attachment and the links in the text with the mouse. Avoid opening attachments with an extension: “filename .zip, filename.exe.”
3. Adopt professional email solutions
- use reliable e-mail software that ensures you continue reading your emails (such as Microsoft Outlook);
- Adopt secure and professional mail systems (such as Microsoft Exchange).
4. Adopt a digital signature in your documents
Adopt a digital signature in your documents. You can thus guarantee the authenticity (identity of the subscriber) and integrity (the certainty that the document has not been modified after its subscription) of your communications.
Exchange mailbox to manage email in your company
In my work, I use the Microsoft Exchange e-mail system. A scalable and flexible cloud email management system that enables you to communicate and collaborate with colleagues with the power of the web and Microsoft Outlook®. Thanks to a server always available, updated, and protected with the latest generation antispam technology.
With Microsoft Exchange, you can share in your enterprise:
- documents;
- heading;
- calendar.
The mail can be consulted simultaneously from any device such as handheld, PC, and Smartphone. Mailbox synchronization is guaranteed on each device where the account is configured.
How to prevent the theft of personal data in 4 Easy Ways: Conclusions
Among online scams, it is essential to report phishing. A technique aimed at identity theft through the use of e-mail messages, created to appear authentic. In this post, I explained how you could prevent the theft of your data and the Microsoft Exchange solution for email storage.
Now I’d like to hear your opinion. How do you protect your email boxes?
