1. spam emails
what to do:
if you receive mail from a sender you recognize and you can’t unsubscribe, you can block the sender and move the mail to your spam folder
You are protected from spam under the Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). Find out about the legislation, as well as how to protect yourself from spam and how to report it when necessary.
If you have not given permission to receive spam from a sender, you can also report it to the Canadian Radio, Television and Telecommunications Commission.
2. phishing emails
Spoofing is a type of online attack in which an attacker, using both technological and psychological tactics, sends one or more people an unsolicited email, social media post, or instant message designed to to trick the recipient into revealing sensitive information or downloading malware. .
Phishing attacks can be generic or personalized and can target both individuals and entire organizations. Attacks that target a specific person or organization are commonly known as spear phishing attacks.
The primary goal of a phishing attack is to get the person to do something that compromises the security of your system or potentially your organization. To prevent attackers from achieving this, when you receive a suspicious email:
- be careful when opening email attachments from unsolicited senders. email attachments may contain malware.
- be careful with links. Fake websites or pages can install malware. hover your mouse over the links to see the destination url.
- Be careful of entering usernames, passwords or other sensitive information on websites. hackers can create fake but identical login pages. if possible, navigate to the website manually.
- don’t don’t respond to phishing emails with sensitive information, such as login credentials. no mcmaster email address will ask for your credentials.
Phishing messages can range from very basic to very sophisticated. common “red flags” or indicators include:
- Suspicious sender or reply address: Always treat messages from unknown or unknown senders or accounts with special caution.
- Unexpected message: Messages from known senders that are not related to normal communications or job responsibilities may indicate that an account has been compromised or is fake.
- suspicious attachment: Messages with unexpected or unusual attachments may contain malware.
- suspicious link: Messages that encourage recipients to click and follow embedded hyperlinks may point to websites unrelated to the message and under the control of attackers.
- Misspelling: Spelling and grammatical errors can indicate a phishing attack as legitimate organizations often avoid such errors in their communications.
what to do:
If you think you’ve been phishing or hacked, don’t be embarrassed. the best thing to do is inform the uts service desk.
all suspicious messages should be reported to is-spam@mcmaster.ca and the message should be removed from your inbox and deleted folder. Reporting phishing attempts and suspicious messages helps keep the mcmaster community safer.
then delete or move the emails to the trash.
click here for more information and training on phishing and reporting.
3. harassing emails
Members of the mcmaster community who have experienced unwelcome comments or conduct by another person are encouraged, but not required, to let the other person know that their behavior is unwelcome.
what to do:
In situations where it is believed that addressing the other person could lead to an escalation of the comment or conduct or security risks, this approach is not recommended. if the issue is not resolved, or if you feel you cannot respond directly to the other person, notify an appropriate supervisor, or contact HR (staff) or campus police (staff and students) .
find more information here.
use a rule to move the emails to the trash or save them in a separate folder for investigation. rules can also help filter out specific words/names that repeatedly come from different or hidden email addresses.
4. rule creation
Rules allow you to automatically move, flag, and reply to email messages. You can also use rules to play sounds, move messages to folders, or display alerts for new items.
The easiest and most common rule to create is the one that allows you to move an item from a certain sender or with certain words in the subject line to another folder. you can create this rule directly from a message you have already received.
5. block senders or mark email as junk (and other options)
6. how to manage spam
No one likes spam or junk mail. Outlook Junk Email Filter does not stop the delivery of spam messages, but it does the following: Move suspected spam to the Junk Email folder.
7. change the way your mail is organized in focused and other mail tabs
8. more outlook training (email)
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training provided by microsoft.