Social Engineering Red Flags

Social Engineering Red Flags

Who Is the Email From?

• You don't recognize or have a
  business relationship with the sender.
• The email was sent from a known
  contact, but the content seems
  unusual or out of character.
• The sender's email address
  contains a suspicious domain
  (ex. micorsoft-support.com).

Who Is the Email Addressed To? 

• You were cc'd on an email, but don't recognize the other recipients.
• The email was sent to an unusual mix of people (ex. a
  group within your organization whose last names start
  with the same letter).

Does the Email Contain Hyperlinks?

• When you hover over an email hyperlink, the link-to
  address is for a different website.
• The email only contains long hyperlinks, or contains
  misspellings of popular/well-known websites
  (ex. www.bankofarnerica.com).

What Was the Email Subject?

• The subject line is irrelevant or doesn't match the message content.
• The email is asking for a response to something you never sent or requested.

What Was the Purpose/Content of the Email? 

• The sender is asking you to click on content to avoid negative consequences, or to gain something of value.
• The email contains multiple spelling errors, bad grammar, or illogical sentences.
• The email contains compromising, threatening, or exploitative content.

What Time Was the Email Sent?

• You received a routine email - but far outside normal business
  hours.

Did the Email Have Any Attachments?

• There is an unexpected or suspicious attachment in the email.
• The email contains a potentially dangerous file type.