Phishing is attempting to acquire information such as username, passwords, bank details etc by pretending to be a trustworthy source, usually telling you to perform an action ie update your account password, security details etc.

They may contain links which will take you to a web page that looks identical to the proper site. Entering details on these pages will result in the information being sent to the ‘phishers’ who will then use these details to log into your account and if its your bank - steal your money!

Junk email or spam mail is usually just adverts from companies sometimes harmless but on occasions these messages can contain malicious code, viruses, which could damage your computer and our data.

REMEMBER: No company should ever ask for login/passwords, in almost all cases you can safely delete these emails.

Protect yourself and others...

The more your subscribe to email lists or give your email address to companies the more junk mail you will receive. Therefore as part of Key’s Internet policy we recommend that you do not subscribe to ANY email newsgroups or mailing lists.

You should also remember that email is provided for BUSINESS USE ONLY. You should never use it when signing up for personal mailing lists or when shopping online for personal items.

Before clicking on a link in an email or opening a file THINK:

• Are you sure the email address is legitimate?
• Is the sender known to you?
• Are you expecting the email?
• Does it contain grammar, spelling errors which you would not normally expect from that account?

If you are in any doubt DO NOT click the link or open any files attached as they may contain malicious content.

If you click a link or open a file and nothing seems to have happened, close your VDI session or PC down and contact the ICT Helpdesk for advice.

If you receive junk mail from companies or individuals you do not recognise or haven’t subscribed to DO NOT send an unsubscribe message (Never reply to it either!). Sending an unsubscribe message sends an email back to the spammer. This in turn tells them that someone checks and reads messages sent to this account. They will then target your email address with more messages in the future. Never click on any of the links in the junk mail as this can also alert the spammers that the mail has been read and it could also install malicious software on your PC.

When you click a link in an email Sophos will check this link before it is opened/displayed. You will be notified if the site you are trying to view is a known to contain malicious content.

You should still be extremely careful before clicking links in emails you weren’t expecting or where you don’t recognise the sender. Don’t rely on Sophos as the only protection.

If in doubt, do not open any attachments or click on any links and forward the email to the ICT Support Team who can offer advice.