In this article, taken from my How to Open Suspicious Attachments Safely guide, I'm sharing 10 red flags everyone needs to know about shady email attachments. Whether it's a random attachment from a stranger or a weird one from someone you know, knowing these warning signs can save you a lot of trouble.
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10 Signs an Attachment Might Be Risky
🚩 Unknown Sender
If the email is from someone you don't know, treat the attachment with caution. Cybercriminals often send fake emails to trick you into opening dangerous attachments.
🚩 Attachment Name Trickery
Cybercriminals may use file names that look safe, like "invoice.pdf.exe" to disguise malicious software. Watch out for double extensions or anything that doesn't match the claimed file type.
🚩 Unexpected Attachment
Did you get an attachment you weren't expecting, even from a friend or coworker? Double-check with them before opening it. Hackers can fake email addresses or hack accounts.
🚩 Generic Subject Lines
Subjects like "Important Document" or "Invoice Attached" can be a red flag, especially if they don't match your usual conversations with the sender.
🚩 Poor Grammar and Spelling
If the email is full of typos or awkward phrasing, it's a sign it might not be from a trustworthy source. Legitimate companies rarely send sloppy emails.
🚩 Unusual Attachment Size
Attachments that are strangely small or excessively large might be suspicious. Malware can hide in both tiny scripts and oversized attachments.
🚩 Encrypted Attachments
Encrypted attachments might seem secure but could hide malicious code. If an email provides a password for the attachment, it's often an attempt to bypass email filtering systems.
🚩 Unusual Time Stamps
Emails sent at odd hours (for example at 3am) or time zones that don't match the sender's location could indicate a compromised account or a phishing attack.
🚩 QR Code Attachments
Some phishing campaigns use QR codes in attachments instead of links. Scanning these codes can redirect you to malicious websites or initiate downloads on your phone or device.
🚩 Attachments Flagged by Antivirus Software
Never ignore warnings from your antivirus program. If your system flags an attachment as risky, there's a good chance it's dangerous, even if it looks legitimate.
What Is Browserling?
Browserling is a neat service that lets you safely check suspicious email attachments in a remote virtual machine. Instead of opening risky attachments directly on your computer, you can use Browserling to test them in a secure, sandboxed environment. It provides an easy way to protect yourself from malware and other threats without taking any chances.
Who Uses Browserling?
Browserling has now become the suspicious email attachment checking service of choice and it's used by hundreds of thousands of users around the world every month. Browserling's customers include governments, states, cities, banks, stock exchanges, universities, newspapers, Fortune 100, Fortune 500 companies, and private multi-billion dollar companies.
Browse safe!