| Most viruses, and by far the most harmful ones, proliferate through email messages. The subject lines of such emails are usually designed with the sole object of enticing you to open them and any attached files. The emails may turn out to embed a vicious program that you yourself allow to run on your PC when you open the email.
Watch out for attached files
Always be on the alert when you receive emails with attached files. Especially, if they come from someone you don’t know, show a peculiar subject or are written in a foreign language. You should also be careful of unexpected emails from people you do know, especially if the subject seems peculiar.
If in doubt, consider whether it might be best to delete the email without opening it or contact the sender, using another medium.
Worms and viruses often come from someone you know
Worms and viruses often replicate through the address books of the PCs they have infected, so it looks as the sender is someone you know.
Spoofing
“Spoofing” is the term used about a specific type of attack which occurs when an email purports to come from a specific person or firm without that party’s having anything to do with the email.
Hoax emails
Sometimes emails aim to make you destroy your PC programs, for instance by asking you to delete a vital file. Such emails are called “hoax” emails. Hoax emails will often suggest that you forward them to your friends before you follow their instructions. That way you will help spread the attack.
These emails often purport to aim at preventing virus attacks on your PC and often include a direct reference to known software providers, such as Microsoft and IBM. Sometimes hoax emails are spoofed.
Phishing
“Phishing” is the term used to describe attempts by fraudsters to cadge personal information, such as credit card data, from people by means of bogus Web sites or emails purporting to originate from a card company.
Fraudsters launching a phishing attacks usually attempt to imitate banks, insurance companies, providers of various popular online services, online shops or credit card firms. Bogus sites are designed with a view to scamming the user into surrendering sensitive information that can be used fraudulently (economic crime or identity theft).
Avoid being taken in by never disclosing your password, personal details or account number outside of the eBanking system.
Northern Bank will never ask for these details via email.
Read more about Phishing from the Anti-Phishing Working Group. | | |