Last year nearly one-third of all data breaches involved malicious or phishing emails, duping the recipient into divulging sensitive information or downloading malware. The cost of these cyber-attacks can run into tens of thousands of pounds for small businesses. So how can you protect your business from hacking and spot malicious emails before they do damage?

Malicious emails: what to look out for

You and your staff need to look out for four things when dealing with your daily emails. These simple checks will help limit the chances of falling victim to cybercrime:

1. Do you really know the sender?

Emails that appear to be from an existing contact can easily trip you up. Hackers will try to impersonate people you know and even companies you trust. Two of the most popular brands impersonated by hackers are Microsoft and Amazon.

Make it a routine to double-check email address, especially when the language used in the email seems strange or the layout looks different to what you might usually expect. The easiest way to do this is to hover your cursor over the sender’s email address to reveal it in full.

2. Links in emails

Hackers include links in emails to lead you to malicious websites where they can steal sensitive information. Only ever click on a link if you are certain about who the email is from.

If in doubt, go to your web browser and access the website from there.

3. Was the email sent at a strange time?

We may live in a 24/7 world but it’s important to consider the time of day an email was sent when thinking about how trustworthy it is. If your colleagues only ever work in office hours, then a midnight email from ‘your boss’ asking for funds to be transferred should set alarm bells ringing.

4. Is the language and tone suspicious?

If there’s a sense of urgency in the message or a claim too good to be true, then you could be dealing with a malicious email. Hackers want you to act without thinking – don’t be duped by their persuasive tactics.

What to do when you receive a malicious email

If you suspect you have received an email from someone claiming to be something they are not, don’t get into a conversation with them online.

If the email has come from someone you are supposed to know then given them a call to check.

For everything else move the email to your trash and delete it permanently.

If you need more advice on how to spot malicious emails, then we can help. Get in touch with us at Fruition Systems by calling 01489 890820 or email helpdesk@fruitionsystems.co.uk and we can advise on applications and strategies to help you.