The preview you see below is an example of a rising security threat that conveniently comes right to your inbox. The trickery is as old as email itself, yet the threat has gained sudden popularity over the last 7-10 days, and we want you to avoid being caught in this crafty trap.
What’s wrong with it?
- RED FLAG #1: For one thing, we don’t send email from abuse@phirefast.com, so why would a bounceback message ever come to it?
- RED FLAG #2: If this came to my personal inbox, I’d know if I emailed that rox-tech.com address, which I certainly have not and therefore should not have a bounceback from it.
- RED FLAG #3: Why would an error message have an attachment? That is not standard practice.
- RED FLAG #4: Even worse, the attachment is a .html file. For obvious reasons we didn’t open it, but there really could be anything in there – ads (most likely,) an iFrame framing a malicious website, XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) and so many more possibilities.
How to be safe
Prevention is key. You can be as slick as you want, dodging ‘internet bullets’ like Hannibal from A-Team, but chances are a threat will slip in to your machine eventually. For this reason, Windows and Apple users should have strong security software to make sure there’s a chance of stopping a threat, should one slip in to your system. We at PhireFast use and recommend Trend Micro, but any reputable, paid security software with good reviews should do the job. Ideal security software also has a strong firewall that blocks suspicious incoming and outgoing activity.
Summary
Remember that email bounceback messages should NEVER contain an attachment. Even if it’s a “harmless” .txt attachment, don’t open it – play it safe. If you ever see a suspicious email with an attachment, it’s more than likely something that can and will harm your system.
As a premier web hosting and domain provider, PhireFast serves thousands of email users throughout North America and the world in a security-oriented cPanel environment, with packages starting from $6.95/mo.
Links
Until next time,
- Mark Mutti
Founder/CEO, PhireFast.com
