How to check suspicious email links on your mobile or tablet
Whilst many have the view that their mobile device is protected from malware attacks, unfortunately this is not the case. According to Symantec’s Internet Security Threat Report, attempted malware attacks in the mobile space continue to grow annually.
Since user behaviour is such a huge factor in mobile security, user education is one of the most important things an individual can do to minimise the threat posed by mobile devices.
One of the most successful scams on mobile or tablet is spear-phishing – a targeted version of phishing emails – which attempts to trick users into downloading infectious software or transferring large sums of money without them realising. So how do we defend ourselves against these scams?
Tricks for checking your email on mobile or tablet
Check it, before you click it!
This is a quick and simple trick to checking suspicious email links on your mobile or tablet. One of the challenging aspects of not falling victim to spear-phishing on your smartphone or tablet is due to there being no mouse cursor, so it’s harder to make hovering over links a habit.
You can still find out a link’s true destination. Here’s how:
- Carefully tap and press the link until you see a menu pop up.
Note: Depending on your device, how hard and long you tap and press varies. Refer to your device’s instructions for checking URLs. - In the menu, make sure that the web address is recognisable and seems to be related to the content of the email.
- If the web address looks unrelated to the email’s message or the Sender’s email domain, don’t follow the link.
Examples of infected links hidden in emails
These are from scammers hiding behind ‘trusted companies’
To see more example of suspicious emails with infected links? Read our blog Tricks to help you identify potential email scam attacks.
Also, read our article on Australia’s 3 biggest cyber threats that target over 60s
Source:
– Symantec, Internet Security Threat Report, volume 23. Read more
– Berkeley Information Security and Policy. Top 10 Secure Computing Tips. Read more
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