Tech Drop

Protect against phishing attacks

It's just about time for some much-needed rest and relaxation! But phishing attacks won't be taking any time off this summer, so continue to be alert for suspicious emails. It's also a good idea to periodically restart your CCS device over the summer to make sure it receives the necessary updates.

1. When checking your email on a mobile device, expand the sender's name so that you can see the full email address.
2. Look out for the external sender warning in the body of emails.
3. Watch for inaccurate content and signatures - all caps, odd titles, misspellings, etc.
4. If the email claims to be from someone you know, does it sound like it was written in their voice? Is the request something they would ask?
5. If you suspect phishing, use the Phish Alert Report button in Outlook (desktop client, webmail, or Outlook mobile app) to report it. 
6. If you click on a link or open an attachment in a phishing email or suspect that your account has been compromised
   1. Reset your CCS network password immediately
   2. Disconnect your device from all networks
   3. Submit a Kayako ticket to have a security scan of your device completed

Preview email links before you click

You can see where a link wants to take you before you click. Look for the beginning part of the URL to correlate to the email address of the sender. 

Outlook Desktop Client

Hover over the link with your cursor and a box will pop up with a preview of the link - but don't expect an actual phishing attempt to be quite as obvious as this training example!

 

Webmail

In webmail, hovering your cursor over a link will display a preview of the link at the bottom of your browser (when using Chrome). If you can't see the whole link in the preview, you can also right-click, copy the link, and paste it into a blank document to see it in its entirety. 

 

Outlook App for Mobile

A long press on a link in an email will bring up a box with a preview. If you've never tried to preview a link this way, try with a link in an email from someone you trust first to get the feel for it.