A new scam is landing in inboxes that purports to be a Microsoft Teams invite to a conference call. Microsoft is a common target for impersonation in phishing scams due to the sheer number of organisations around the world that use their services. If your business uses Microsoft and is not a MailGuard customer, make sure to share this article with your team so that you can continue to protect your systems and data from phishing attacks.
The email has the subject “RE: {Encrypts} [Business Name] | | Purchase Agreement”, and the sender name uses the recipient’s business name and “m-Teams Services” to make it appear as though it’s a legitimate MS Teams alert. However, the email is actually sent by what appears to be a compromised account at an Indonesian tech company.
Using Microsoft branding and the recipient’s business name throughout to help feign authenticity, the email states that “Your teammates has asked you to join the audio conference call” and directs the recipient to click the button “Open in Microsoft.Teams”. However, a number of red flags help to show that this is not a genuine email alert, including the misspelled “MICROSFT” and “Microsoft.Teams”.
Here's an example of the emails we're now blocking:
After clicking the button, the recipient is taken to a convincing copy of the Microsoft login page. The phishing page also uses strategies to stop automated checks, which puts more individuals at risk.
Similar to what you would expect from Microsoft, the login page auto-fills the recipient's email address and only asks for their password, which if entered, will be harvested and stored for later use by the attacker.
Finally, after entering their password, the victim is taken to a page that shows the message “Successfully Confirmed!” and they are then redirected to Microsoft Office’s homepage.
By compromising an employee’s email account, a scammer may be able to access your business’s sensitive data. They may also use the account to communicate with other employees or clients in an attempt to gain financially.
MailGuard advises all recipients of this email to delete it immediately without clicking on any links. Providing your personal details can result in your sensitive information being used for criminal activity and may have a severe negative impact on your business and its financial well-being.
MailGuard urges users not to click links or open attachments within emails that:
- Are not addressed to you by name.
- Appear to be from a legitimate company but use poor English or omits personal details that a legitimate sender would include.
- Are from businesses that you were not expecting to hear from, and/or
- Take you to a landing page or website that is not the legitimate URL of the company the email is purporting to be sent from.
Many businesses turn to MailGuard after an incident or a near miss, often as a result of an email similar to the one shown above. If unwanted emails are a problem for your business, don’t wait until it’s too late.
Reach out to our team for a confidential discussion by emailing expert@mailguard.com.au or calling 1300 30 44 30.
One email is all that it takes
All that it takes to devastate your business is a cleverly worded email message that can steal sensitive user credentials or disrupt your business operations. If scammers can trick one person in your company into clicking on a malicious link or attachment, they can gain access to your data or inflict damage on your business.
For a few dollars per staff member per month, you can protect your business with MailGuard's predictive and advanced email security. Talk to a solution consultant at MailGuard today about securing your company's inboxes.
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