Gallery of the Uncommon
VIRUS
In an R&D institution related to technologies and computing, it’s normal that all collaborators, from top to bottom, are familiar with the reception of spam, phishing, malware virus messages and other undesired emails. That's why it’s rare for anyone to infect their computer by opening a link they shouldn't have, but this email that we'll be talking about, almost deceived us.
It was an email addressed to one of our Executive Assistants to the Board from a Centre Coordinator, who actually interacts frequently with said Assistant. But the content raised some questions:
Subject: RE: Payment Order / Urgent
Hello XXX,
What is our bank account balance? Can we make a EUR 45.300 transfer today?
Regards,
XXX XXX
The names were correct and so was the speech tone. And on top of it, this Centre is one of the most “financially” successful ones at INESC TEC. But there was a detail that drew the Assistant's attention: this Coordinator is a genius and would know the bank account balance by heart, so this email couldn’t be legitimate.
Dear hackers, next time you wish to attack INESC TEC, please make sure you prepare yourself a little better, OK?
