Consumer Reports Online Security Guide
August 27, 2009Jeff Zahorowski No Comments »
While CompTIA does not directly address phishing in the A+ certification objectives, most A+ certification books I’ve read expressly mention it as it relates to the Security domain of both A+ certification tests. Sometimes end users will ask me, “What exactly is phishing?” or “How can I tell if an email is real or fake?” A simple, direct answer can be elusive, as the tell-tale signs of a phishing email are varied, and users often gain knowledge of them through experience.
Fortunately Consumer Reports has put together a wonderful visual aid that I use in A+ certification classes when we talk about phishing. Their online security guide has a link at the bottom, “Go phish”. Follow and it will launch an interactive Flash quiz that presents real phishing emails mixed in with legitimate emails, and challenges the user to determine which are the fakes. A real boon is that the phishing emails are subsequently highlighted to display the little mistakes that give them away, making the tool not only a great introduction to the concept of phishing, but an education in real, practical tips for email safety.
Most of my students are pretty savvy, and have the experience to know a fake when they see one. But being able to show someone else how to spot a phishing attack is something else again. That’s why I’ve been recommending to my students who work in IT to use the tool as a means to educate the end users in their charge.
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