Warning against dangerous e-mails  [05.11.21]

Hacker attacks usually start in this way. It is true that our central protection systems filter out a large number of harmful e-mails every day. Nevertheless, perpetrators succeed again and again in infiltrating harmful e-mails through technical measures.

When technology reaches its limits, we as users are all the more called upon. Currently, attempts are being made either to get malicious code onto systems by using mails that look as real as possible and have fake sender information. Or they are trying to get you to disclose your internal user data and enter it on an external platform/website. Both must be prevented at all costs.

What can you do?

1. Avoid clicking on links in emails. Pay attention to the appearance of links. Example: If an external link begins with "http" instead of "https" or refers to a foreign country or looks cryptic, this can be an indication of malware. If in doubt, it is advisable to manually type in the address of the organisation in question.
   
   
2. Never enter your user data (login name and password), with which you log on to your computer or IT services, on websites you do not know. Professional criminals are now also very good at purposefully rebuilding well-known websites in order to steal access data. Watch out for spam-suspicious content in e-mails, such as questions for personal data, inaccurate language, conspicuous file attachments (especially Office documents). Be wary of requests that claim to be urgent.
   
   
3. Pay attention to the real e-mail address of the sender: External incoming mails show e.g. in Outlook both a name and an <email address>. The real email address is enclosed in square brackets <>. The name in front of it can be forged almost at will, the email address, on the other hand, is difficult to forge. Fake senders can also be recognised on a smartphone: Tap on the e-mail address displayed to you. In most cases, a contact window will then open in which you can see the actual e-mail address. Do they match?
   
   
4. If an e-mail is already marked with "SPAM" in the subject, special caution is advised. If you need assistance in assessing such an e-mail, please contact the IT Service Desk or IT Security. Any suspicious action detected in advance can avoid damage and high expenses!

In this context, reference should be made to the awareness learning modules on IT security.

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