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How to detect if an email wants to steal personal data

Phishing are malicious emails with false information. (photo: Segurilatam)

One of the cyber attacks most common is the phishing. It is characterized by being a threat that impersonates the name or appearance of a reliable company to deceive its victims. Their goal is to get them to click on malicious links so they can steal your credentials. Usually these scams are sent via email.

Since e-mails are the most common method for cyber hackers deceive their victims, it is important that people know how to recognize a good email from a bad one and thus prevent their personal information from being compromised.

How to analyze malicious mail

According to Kaspersky, if an email asks to perform an action like go to a link or download a file attached, claiming to be important with a “CEO’s personal request” or something “due to be paid in the next few hours”, is most likely a trap.

Do not open links in the email that lead to external sites that request personal information; nor download or open files that are executable (such as .exe), nor perform actions related to money transfers.

(Photo: Pixabay)
(Photo: Pixabay)

It can also be checked from the header of the note if it is a malicious mail, since the address must match the sender, for example, if it says that it is an urgent mail from Googlethen the email should be “@google.com” and not “@donitas.com” or anything else.

To check the domain of the mail received in case it is suspicious or when browsing a strange site is found, you can access a https://n9.cl/ye6rm3a free page from Kaspersky that analyzes files and URL’s.

To check whether the address that the email asks to click on is malicious, it can be copied and pasted onto the email company’s site. cyber security so that it analyzes it and indicates if it is free of threats.

(Photo: Pixabay)
(Photo: Pixabay)

This solution is effective if the email platform does not have automatic scanning. For example, Gmail alerts the user if the received message is potentially dangerous so that it is not opened or care is taken when opening it.

Another alert is receive an email that was not expected. For example, a few months ago it was reported that cyber hackers they were impersonating the identity of Wetransfer and it was sending emails to its victims stating that they had files pending for download. When people clicked on the link it took them to a malicious site.

If the person is clueless, they will not notice that the site is a copy and will enter their data. The information, being under the domain of the attackers, can be used to access the email account and carry out attacks or ask for ransom.

Example of a phishing email (Photo: File)
Example of a phishing email (Photo: File)

That is why, even if you receive an email that appears to be completely real, you must first verify if it was planned to be received, if the data matches, and do not open links or files until they have been verified to be clean. In any case, they should not be opened if it is not necessary to do so.

ESET, another cybersecurity company, recommends count a software of antivirus updated. “In this way, one makes sure that the operating system has the necessary patches or corrections to be protected against possible attacks.”

Although this precautionary tactic is not closely related to receiving malicious emails, it is best to be careful at all timestherefore they must avoid connecting to public WiFi networks and where traffic may be exposed. ideal isuse a reliable VPN.

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