How to recognize an email containing a virus

In this article we address those who have little experience and do not know how to identify dangerous emails.

Know that if you receive an unsolicited email it is likely to be spam. You have installed antivirus and all existing protection, but what should you do at this point ?

Don't open the email . If you have already opened it, try to check the sending address and if there are contacts in CC .

Verification of attachments

Then check for attachments but don't download or open them for any reason.

Do the attachments have names attributable to your work or do you not know how to identify them? The name of the file in which language is it written? Does it coincide with the nationality of the sending company? Did you wait for an attachment or wasn't it required?

If these few elements seem to coincide, just make a call to the sender and to clarify the nature of the communication. This is the most immediate way to deal with the problem.

Of course you can only do this if you know the sender, in the business context the sender could be a supplier or a customer.

Verification of the content of the email

If you want to continue with the check, try hovering over the contents with links (buttons, images, links to sites that may be clones of the originals).

Once you have hovered over the mouse, do not click but check the destination web address at the bottom left of the screen .

Is that destination web address attributable to the sites you already know? Spammers often use domains similar to the originals in order to mislead less careful users .

An example of an address similar to the original is:

Original site address : https://www.webdigitalmediagroup.com/

Clone site address: https://www.webdigitalmediagroup.com/contact/

The difference between the two addresses is significant but despite this many people do not notice it because the clone site is identical to the original.

However, there are additional systems to infect computers, for example malicious scripts inserted specifically in the html code of the email.

The ideal is to carry out the necessary checks and if there was even the slightest doubt mark the suspicious email as SPAM .

What to do in conclusion?

We remind you that all this is only part of the procedure as it does not guarantee the complete protection of the company's IT systems . To avoid risks, companies should install antivirus and firewalls with anti-spam and anti-cryptolocker systems .

If you believe you are receiving spam or suspicious communications, please contact us immediately to request an evaluation from an expert who will advise you on the best solution .