If you’ve noticed that you’ve been receiving more SPAM emails than usual, you are right!
Domains.co.za, a local domains and hosting provider, has confirmed that it has noticed a dramatic increase in the attacks aimed at South African business and individuals over the past few weeks. The specific reason behind the increase is unclear, however the company warns South Africans to stay vigilant when opening and reading emails.
“Phishing is a favoured tool hackers use to obtain sensitive information they can use for fraudulent purposes,” says Domains.co.za CEO Wayne Diamond. “These emails are usually sent in bulk so as to allow hackers a wider audience to target. In doing so, their chances of tricking an unsuspecting recipient between the masses increase substantially.
Our customers' online safety is our top priority, that is why we use a multi-pronged proactive approach to allow us to pick-up and block suspicious servers early on. Over the past several weeks we’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number of these blocked servers leading us to believe that South Africa is under a SPAM attack.”
A SPAM attack means individuals and businesses might see more SPAM emails in their SPAM folders than usual, as well as experiencing a delay in the transmission (both sending and receiving) of emails. Hosting with a reputable hosting company is always the first port of call because this means you have an expert team backing you and doing their best to implement security protocols that will keep you safe.
Secondly, individuals and companies need to be very cautious and take note of the following:
Companies:
Remind your staff that they NOT open any suspicious emails, or click on any attachments, or links in mails sent from any individual that they do not know.
Should an unknown email sender be very determined to prompt the recipient to click on an attachment or link – this should be a warning.
Make sure your IT team is on top of this and that your company’s anti-virus programs are updated.
Individuals:
If it sounds too good to be true, it almost ALWAYS is. DO NOT open any attachment or click on a link in an email sent from an unknown individual.
Your bank will never ask you to supply personal information via email. If you are unsure if a particular email came from your bank or not, forward the email on to your bank’s fraud department.
Make sure your antivirus software is updated. We recommend a well-known and reputable brand like ESET. This is also the brand we rely on.