Information Security Bulletin: Alert on Sophisticated Phishing Scams
This is our sixth information security bulletin, all about avoiding phishing scams. As a valued user of quotemonster.co.nz, we want to ensure that your personal information remains secure, and your privacy is safeguarded. With phishing scams becoming increasingly sophisticated, its crucial to stay vigilant. Most commonly an account is compromised through re-used credentials, or, by unwittingly granting access to the account, often when clicking on a link in a phishing email.
This ISB is to alert you to a concerning trend in email-based phishing scams that have recently come to our attention. These sophisticated scams pose significant risks to personal and organisational data security.
1. Nature of the Scam: Recent incidents have involved emails that appear as replies from someone you know, to an email that may at a glance look like it was written by you, or someone in your business. These emails are entirely fabricated, yet may convincingly mimic legitimate correspondence. Alarmingly, these emails are occasionally sent from actual email addresses previously used by clients or associates, which are no longer active but have been compromised. In our case, we received one from an adviser who was once active in the industry, but is now deceased, which helped to raise the alarm.
2. Spotting the Scam:
Unexpected Replies: Be cautious of email threads that you do not recall initiating.
Email Address Verification: Double-check the sender's email address, especially if the content seems unusual or unexpected.
Content Inconsistencies: Look for anomalies in the email's tone, language, or signature that may differ from the supposed sender's usual style.
Suspicious attachments: There will often be a PDF or Zip file attached with a generic or meaningless name. Never open an attachment if you are unsure about what is in it.
Suspicious links: Be very cautious of clicking on links. We have included one for Cert NZ in the next section. If you hover your mouse over the link you should be able to see that it links to a web address with a domain that ends in ‘.govt.nz’. This is the NZ government’s domain, which is where you might expect that link to lead, and you can be pretty sure that it is safe to click on. Often a suspicious link will point to an address which is not related in any way to the content of the email or the wording on the link. Don’t go there!
3. Preventative Measures:
Close Unused Accounts: Ensure that all inactive email accounts are properly shut down to prevent unauthorised access.
Secure Login Credentials: Regularly update passwords and keep them confidential. Use strong, unique passwords for each account.
Storage of Login Credentials: Ensure your login credentials are stored in a secure password manager, such as LastPass, these applications will also help generate strong passwords.
Activate Two Factor Authentication (2FA): Add an extra layer of security by activating 2FA.
Activate Spam Filtering: Microsoft allows you to enable spam filtering and will automatically pick up spam or phishing emails when detected. These will not catch everything, but they definitely help.
Educate and Inform: Continuously educate your team about these scams and encourage vigilance. CERT NZ provides some valuable information on the subject and has a scam check that you can use to check if a text, email, social media page, phone or website looks suspicious.
4. Immediate Actions: If you suspect that you have received a phishing email:
Do not click on any links or download attachments.
Contact the supposed sender through a different communication channel to verify the email's authenticity.
Report the incident to your IT department or relevant authority (e.g. CERT NZ).
We urge you to take these warnings seriously and implement the suggested measures to safeguard your information. As always, we are committed to keeping you informed about potential threats and providing solutions to enhance your security.
Want to know more?
We are here to help! You can email us to ask for copies of past security bulletins. You can also review our outsource provider statement at the bottom right-hand corner of every page on the site at www.quotemonster.co.nz. More information about relevant certifications, policies, and procedures will be shared in future information security bulletins. We recommend you keep these with other compliance documents.
Please contact us on 09 480 6071 or at info@quotemonster.co.nz if you have any concerns or questions.
Stay vigilant and safe.
ISB 06-202402
