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Cyber bad guy fishing for information

Tech Tip: Be on the lookout for "spear phishing."

Spear Phishing: The fraudulent practice of sending emails ostensibly from a known or trusted sender in order to induce targeted individuals to reveal confidential information.

The technique has been around for a while, but it seems to be getting more common, thus the warning.

A spear phisher will often pose as an authority figure and ask for money to be transferred or for sensitive information to be given to them. They'll often disguise the email address to look like it originated from the authority figure and ask/demand that it be done quickly.

Example: You receive an email from Dr. Ramey. The email even seems to have come from his official email address. The email asks you to transfer club funds into an account number listed in the email. He says he expects it to be done today because of a sensitive situation.

This example is a spear phishing attack! We are trained to help and want to do a good job so it is often tempting to do what's asked in the email and help Dr. Ramey. Hopefully, these requests raise enough red flags for you to not follow through.

As with all email please be mindful of your interactions. If something seems off, it's better to be safe than sorry!

Matt Sproat
Oakwood Schools Technology Coordinator

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