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Phishing emails are an ever-increasing problem, and they can be very convincing. AU’s information security department therefore now launches a new initiative to help members of staff spot phishing emails.
2020.11.18 |
Photo: Unsplash
When the only relative of the now deceased king of Nigeria writes in an email and says that he has inherited 63 million dollars, and that you can get 10% if you send your bank information, there is little doubt that a phishing email has landed in your inbox. But can you always spot a phishing email?
If you look at the numbers, every year employees fall into the phishing trap.
Today, most phishing emails are so cunningly made that it can be difficult to determine whether they are fake. That is why AU’s information security department now launches an internal campaign to help employees spot phishing emails and react in the right way.
See typical characteristics of a phishing email.
During December, approx. 1000 randomly selected employees will receive a fake phishing email. If you click the link in the email, you will be sent to an external campaign website which explains what has happened and how to spot a phishing email in the future.
Clicking the link in the fake phishing email will not have any consequences for you. AU will only receive anonymised, statistical data from DKCERT. DKCERT is responsible for the technical side of the campaign.
Don’t be ashamed if you take the bait. The most important thing is that you react quickly by contacting your local IT support team. You can also help by sharing your experience with your colleagues. We know that the more openly we talk about phishing emails, the better we become at spotting them in the future.
Fact box
Phishing is an attempt to ‘fish’ for confidential information from the recipient or trick the recipient into installing malicious software on his or her computer.