Be careful with email attachments

If you don’t recognise the sender, or the email looks suspicious in any way, (it includes poor grammar, punctuation, or spelling) then the attachment may be a malware trap. Suspicious attachments are often PDFs, which is the most common and useful format for sending documents.

Malware are programmes that deploy code once clicked on and can damage your computer operating environment, shared folders (such as P: and K: drives at UC), and compromise information. Or, it could be a ransomware attack that could spread throughout the entire network you are working on. This can result in networks and information becoming locked and the organisation held at ransom by the hacker, costing millions of dollars in lost productively and time to find a solution.

Reporting a potential malware trap

If you do open an attachment and your computer starts behaving strangely, switch it off immediately and call the IT Service Desk on 0508 UC IT HELP (0508 824 843).