{"id":1018,"date":"2022-06-08T20:04:34","date_gmt":"2022-06-08T20:04:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.tarleton.edu\/technology\/?page_id=1018"},"modified":"2025-05-19T20:07:46","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T20:07:46","slug":"phishing-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/technology\/tech-spot\/phishing-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Email Phishing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Email Phising <\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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There are many forms of email scam, but one of most common right now is phishing, which is an attempt by a malicious party to trick message recipients into taking actions that will reveal private information (like passwords) or cause malicious software to be installed on the recipient\u2019s computer. Understanding these attempts, learning to identify them, and knowing what action to take when such attempts are made can be crucial to protecting your information as well as Tarleton\u2019s.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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View Recent Phishing Scams<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Two Techniques: Spoofing and Hacking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Spoofing<\/strong> occurs when a malicious party takes advantage of weaknesses in the Internet email system which enable them to forge the \u201cfrom\u201d address, allowing the malicious sender to pose as a trusted person or entity and trick the recipient into taking action which might reveal private or secret information or which might cause malicious software to be run on the recipient\u2019s computer. Spoofed messages do not come from or pass through the email system of the forged sender; they just give that appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hacking<\/strong> occurs when a malicious party has gained access to a victim\u2019s email address and password; for example, via a spoofed message from \u201cHelpDesk@tarleton.edu<\/a>\u201d or \u201cadmin@microsoft.com<\/a>\u201d directing the victim to \u201cvalidate their email account\u201d by clicking on a link and then entering credentials on a fake, but real-looking, web page. Once the malicious party has the victim\u2019s credentials, he\/she\/they can login as the victim and send unlimited messages of any kind, to anyone as the victim. The hacker effectively becomes the victim and can perpetrate further scams in the victim\u2019s name with no need to forge or spoof the victim\u2019s address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you think an email is a phishing attempt, please contact the Tarleton Helpdesk at helpdesk@tarleton.edu<\/a> or calling them at 254-968-9885.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Did the Email Actually Come from Someone That You Trust?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Where did the email originate? Although the from in the following example appears valid, if you look closely, you’ll see that the mailto: is a Gmail account instead. If they don’t match, this is definitely a phishing attempt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official email from A&M System components will usually not originate from non-Tarleton accounts. Don’t be fooled by similar spellings, either (i.e. johntarleton@tarlleton.edu).<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Email<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The From<\/strong> or Reply To<\/strong> email address is a different domain or slightly different spelling than the official email address.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Is This Really the Site That You Wanted?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\"Email<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Where will the links take you when you click on them? When you hover your mouse cursor over links in an email, you should look to see whether the displayed link actually matches the text of the link in what you see when you are not hovering over it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this case, when you hover over the link address in the email message, you will see a very different link that would take you to an unsecure site. This is a good indication that the email you are viewing is a phishing attempt.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Avoid the Bait of a Phishing Scam<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Online con-games are designed to prey on unsuspecting recipients with attention- getting emails that appear to come from legitimate institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Examples include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n