Gmail and Outlook users warned as experts reveal rise in malicious emails

SECURITY experts are warning that malicious emails that can bypass security features are on the rise.

The dangerous messages are said to slip easily under your email provider’s radar and break into your inbox.

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A worrying 13% of all threatening emails being sent go undetected by layers of email security defenses.

This is said to be an increase on previous years.

That’s according to new data released in HP Wolf Security’s Security Threat Insights Report.

The report states: “With the decline of Office documents and spreadsheets as a method of delivering malware to PCs, we saw
attackers experiment with alternative techniques like HTML smuggling and malicious shortcut (LNK) files.

“HTML smuggling is effective at bypassing email gateway
security because attackers can encrypt their malware inside HTML attachments, preventing scanners from inspecting malicious content.”

The report also warned of malicious PDF files that you should never open.

To say safe you need to be alert whenever you check your emails.

Even if a message looks legitimate it could be from a scammer that’s hoping you accidentally click a dangerous link or download a bad file.

HOW TO AVOID A PHISHING SCAM

Firstly, you should be thorough when checking who the email is from.

Even if it looks official, double-check the email and look for any spelling mistakes or slight abnormalities in the sender’s email address.

Never feel pressurised into opening an attachment and avoid clicking the phrase “enable content.”

You should also be wary of links in emails.

If you’re certain an email you have received is a scam, report it to your email provider and delete it.