Firewall & E-security News

"Phishing IQ Test" builds your scam-sensing muscle

The spread of fraudulent e-mails that trick you into disclosing sensitive information (an attack known as phishing) continues to increase every month. The best way to protect yourself from this rising Internet pestilence is, "learn to discern." Can you distinguish bogus phishing e-mails from legitimate correspondence? To help you in this mental obstacle course, MailFrontier offers a free Phishing IQ Test that gives your scam-sensing muscle a quick workout.

To complete the test, simply view ten e-mail messages and decide whether each presents an example of a legitimate e-mail or a phishing scam. The devil is in the details. Each message contains small clues hidden within URLs or the status bar that should help you recognize the legitimacy of the e-mail. Paying attention to these details can make the difference between happily ignoring deceptive e-mails, or suffering from identity theft (and worse).

Once you finish the test, don't worry if you get most of the answers wrong the first time. The greatest value MailFrontier's test offers lies in the answers it presents on the results page. Next to each answer declaring whether an e-mail was fraudulent or legit, you'll see a "Why?" link. Clicking the "Why?" link after each message leads you to MailFrontier's snappy explanation of exactly what clues reveal the legitimacy of certain e-mail messages. However you do on this test, I highly recommend you click through the answer links and pick up some best practices on avoiding phishing attacks.

As muscle-builders know, you have to continually train your muscles in order to strengthen them. Try a few reps of MailFrontier's Phishing IQ Test to give your scam-sniffing muscle a healthy workout. -- Corey Nachreiner