Most legitimate email messages tend to be written with HTML and they may have a mix of text and images. Consider that sometimes the file extension is hidden or the contents are different than indicated. bat, or other Microsoft Office file types then it may be malware. If the email has an unexpected attachment such as a file with the extensions. If the email recipient list shows undisclosed-recipients/unlisted-recipients or an email address other than yours, then it may be malware. Undisclosed-recipients/unlisted-recipients.Examples include dealing with package delivery problems, information about fake court appearances, or fake invoices from entities you may not be doing business with. Some emails appear to be a second response asking you for a followup. If an email encourages you to solve a problem by opening an attachment then you should be very wary. Malware emails often attempt to incite your fear, worry, or a sense of urgency. It may not be safe to open the attachment. Reconsider if this seems safe and contact support if in doubt. If an email is asking for you to confirm, check, review or provide information using an attachment, it may be a malware attachment. This web link could lead to malware, so please consider all the tips first. Some malware emails are similar to phishing emails where they encourage you to follow a web link. Emails about package delivery problems have no good reason to require you to open an attachment if they were emailing you about a legitimate delivery problem they could just inform you in the body of the email. Many attachments can still be harmful even if you are running antivirus. Many emails containing malware will encourage you to open an attachment. Contrast this to normal emails which almost always have a Subject and rarely mention your email username. A malware email may contain your username in the subject or the attachment filename, or the Subject field may be blank. Email subject or attachment contains username.These emails rarely appear to come from an appropriate address, for example emails claiming to be from Fedex or UPS are likely to be malware if their From address does not match or ups.com.
Most malware emails appear to be package delivery notices, invoices, fax/scans, or court notices. If the sender's address is unfamiliar or doesn't match an expected address for a company, then it is probably a malware email.
Please exercise care when viewing emails and if you have any questions, contact DECS Support at 353-8891, or stop by 1325 Engineering Building. You likely have valuable MSU and Engineering accounts, and from time to time you will be the target of malware emails. Malware emails often appear to be package/parcel delivery notices, invoices, fax/scans, or fake court notices. Michigan State University, along with almost every email provider continues to be a target of malware emails.