5 emails you should never open
Email subjects quite often play a big role in the success of a phishing campaign. Cybercriminals are, therefore, increasingly attempting to fool recipients into clicking a malicious link or downloading an infected file by using business-oriented and legitimate-seeming subject lines.
Websense Research has revealed that email subjects alone are most likely to ensure a phishing lure. Here are five of the most risky email subjects that you should never open.
Undelivered Mail Returned to Sender
'Undelivered Mail Returned to Sender' is the fifth most dangerous subject line for email users. While these mails are often received by senders when their outgoing mails don't reach the recipient, scammers put the same message in the subject line.
Once the unsuspecting recipients open these mails, they get baited to click on links or images included with the message, leading to potentially dangerous websites.
Comunicazione importante
'Comunicazione importante' (which in Italian means "important communication') is another dangerous email subject, as per the Websense study. So, if you happen to receive one of these mails, it would be wise to be wary than sorry as the message could link to a scam website or even download malware on your computer.
Dear … Customer
'Dear … Customer' is another favourite subject line of cybercriminals. Many phishing emails are sent with this subject line to lure the unsuspecting recipients.
These mails have links that take you to websites that look genuine but, in fact, are fake. Such websites extract confidential information from unsuspecting victims.
Mail delivery failed: returning message to sender
"Mail delivery failed: returning message to sender' is another dangerous subject line to be wary of, according to Websense. Many users often get emails with this subject and click to know which of their email bounced back.
Next time, think twice before clicking on an email with the same or similar subject line.
Invitation to connect on LinkedIn
Often get emails with invitation to connect on LinkedIn? While many of these may be authentic, most others are phishing mails which may take you to malware ridden websites.
The golden rule: Never click on the link in the mail unless you know the person who sent you the invite to connect. It is best to open LinkedIn directly.
