Email Security/Phishing Awareness

Security threats are an inevitable part of business. This could not be more true for Cross Company today. As we continue to grow in numbers and sales, so does the possibility of data breaches and cyber attacks. I hope that today, we can help eliminate some of that chance just with a small reminder and some images of an example that can be a simple trap for us all.

Just today, multiple of our fellow employee-owners were contacted by a name that was familiar to them. The name in this phishing attempt email was spoofed by a cyber criminal, making it look like an ordinary email to the recipients. Upon further review, we can also see that this attempt was done inside of a current email string/conversation that has been ongoing. Lastly, the file itself is named after a the customer/project that is known to the recipient. I highly encourage you to look through these images copied from the phishing attempt today and educate yourself on some of the intelligent ways that attackers attempt to get us to fall victim.

See below for some of the proof that this is a phishing attempt:

1. The sender email looks legitimate, as a common name, yet it is forwarded from an unknown source (Brad Bohannon via dimensionshc.com).
2. This email and file came unannounced, as the recipient was not expecting this.
3. The file is in ZIP format, common for phishing attempts.
4. The attachment is labeled an encrypted and includes a warning that it is unsafe, from the Google Gmail team.

As a reminder, if you believe that you may have been the recipient of a phishing attempt or any other potential security hazard, please contact helpdesk@crossco.com to inform the IT team of the attempt, as well as marking the email as SPAM by clicking this icon on the email:

As a team, we can lower these risks, by watching out for these intelligently built phishing attempts that are increasing everyday. Thank you to everyone for helping out with this cause and notifying the Cross Company IT Help Desk about these potential attacks.

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