Hovering and You

Can you tell if an email is safe to open? You might already be savvy on catching red flags like typos, poor grammar, an urgent demeanor, or even a spoofed domain…but how can you truly decipher the safety of an email? The cybersecurity experts of the KnowB4 Security Team have lined out some of the benefits of hovering over a link to determine if it is legit.  A step they recommend taking right away, is to seek out the most critical tell-tale signs of a phishing email—a mismatched or fake URL.

Hovering not only allows you take a minute to think before you click, but also allows you the opportunity to see where a link is going to redirect to. This is especially important because not all links lead to where they appear, or insinuate they will go. When you hover, check for the following to ensure you’re staying safe and secure:

• If the email appears to be coming from a company, does the hover link match the website of the sender?
• Does the link have spelling errors of a well-known website (Such as MorphyWoll.com)?
• Does the link redirect to a suspicious external domain appearing to look like the sender’s domain? (For example, “micorsoft-support.com” rather than “microsoft.com”)?
• Does the hover link show a URL that does not match where the context of the email claims it will take you?
• Do you recognize the link’s address or did you even expect to receive the link?
• Did you receive a blank email with long hyperlinks and no further information or context?

The KnowB4 Team recommends if you notice anything about the email that alarms you, then do not click any links, open attachments, or even reply. If everything seems okay, but you’re still not sure–verify! Ask your IT team or leadership if the email is legitimate before proceeding. Remember, you are the last line of defense to prevent cyber criminals from succeeding and making you or your company susceptible to an attack.

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