Did you fall for the free Starbucks holiday promotion?
As you now know, it was a test. The City’s Information Technology Agency (ITA) sends these types of email tests regularly to see if City employees are able to resist the temptation to click on malicious links. But, did you know these tests are also tracked per department. So far, the Clerk has done pretty well, but not great in helping fight cyber crime. We still have a number of staff clicking on what could be phishing attacks. That means if you are accidentally clicking at work, you could also be infecting your home computers and personal phones.
Phishing attacks can come as malicious email, websites, text messages, and phone calls that solicit personal or sensitive information by posing as a trustworthy person or organization. These attacks are costly to individuals and organizations. Please stay alert and help keep the City safe by not clicking on suspicious links.
Here are quick hints on how to spot phishing attacks.
Appearance: The grammar is poor and/or there are misspellings The link connects to an unknown/external website The logo or graphics seem off or unusual
Sender: The sender is unknown or from outside the organization The sender is known but the email domain is different The sender is a generic or vague group name and/or domain
Relevancy: The email content is unrelated to mission, group, or organization
Behavior: The email uses baseless threats to evoke fear for non-compliance Here is a link to “How to spot a phishing email” newsletter https://cityclerk.insidela.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ITA-Phishing-Newsletter.pdf
Here is a link to a funny 2-minute video on the topic created by the ITA https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=jcsSkuQwhcI
Phishing email Sample
