How to Defend Against Phishing
The following are tips that can be found at the anti-phishing workgroup at www.antiphishing.org
- Beware of e-mails that warn of great dangers. Phishers use fake statements in the e-mail that they send out. Usually, there is a warning about some threat or danger which will result in dire consequences if the user ignores it. If this is the case, the real organisation should be contacted to confirm the e-mail. This will have the added value of alerting the organisation to the fact that phishers are using their good name.
- Beware of e-mails that ask for confidential information. Phishers will ask to be e-mailed personal information that no genuine institution would request in an e-mail, eg: PIAN numbers or passwords to accounts.
- Beware of e-mails that are not personalised. Phishing e-mails are very rarely personalised, for example, they will never use your forename or surname in the e-mail. They cannot do this because they have to send the same e-mail to many different people.
Next: Phishing Quiz
