Phishing and Malware Attacks

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there has been a huge uptake in the number of people working from home, criminals are taking advantage of this. Over the last couple of months we have seen an increase in the number of malicious emails received by the authority, including phishing attacks and attachments containing ransomware. When ransomware infected attachments are opened they run in the background on the computer encrypting any files the user has access too, whether these are on the computer or on shared drives. Once these files are encrypted they become completely inaccessible. These kinds of attacks can be damaging and very difficult and costly to recover from. If you see anything pop on your screen intimating that you have been the subject of a “Ransom” attack you should contact the Service Desk as soon as possible.

Phishing malware attacks - Phishing attacks will attempt to trick you into revealing your user name and password or other confidential information. Once an account has been compromised, it is often used to distribute the phishing emails to contacts within that user’s account, this further adds to the appearance of authenticity as the email comes from someone you have had dealings with in the past.

We have received reports that HWB mail is being targeted, please take extra care when receiving mail from HWB users, especially if the email is unexpected, contains attachments, weblinks or requests you to enter your login details. You should NOT enter your login details if you are prompted by a suspicious link, instead contact the service desk for advice.

What can you do to protect against these attacks?

Be aware who the email is from

Emails from people who you don’t deal with or you have infrequent dealings with may be suspicious, especially if they contain attachments or links which request your login information.

Don't open the attachments

Treat any attachment that you didn't request, especially from an unusual source as highly suspect

Don’t click on weblinks

Treat any weblinks, especially from an unusual source or if they request your login information as highly suspect.

Check the address

Check email addresses for accuracy and look for signs of suspicious activity, for example if an email is not in the format you'd expect or a name appears to be spelt incorrectly. Email addresses made up of seemingly random combinations of letters and numbers may also be suspicious.

Check the content

Badly written emails with spelling mistakes and other small errors should arouse suspicion.

Check with the Service Desk

If in doubt, contact the Service Desk. They will let you know whether something is safe to open or click on. It's better to be safe than sorry.