Deep Dive: Recognising Phishing Emails
Part of Social Engineering — GCSE Computer Science
This deep dive covers Deep Dive: Recognising Phishing Emails within Social Engineering for GCSE Computer Science. Revise Social Engineering in Network Security for GCSE Computer Science with 15 exam-style questions and 17 flashcards. This topic appears less often, but it can still be a useful differentiator on mixed-topic papers. It is section 5 of 8 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 5 of 8
Practice
15 questions
Recall
17 flashcards
Deep Dive: Recognising Phishing Emails
Phishing emails are designed to look legitimate, but there are tell-tale signs:
- Urgency and threats: "Act now or your account will be closed!" - Creates panic to bypass rational thinking
- Generic greeting: "Dear Customer" or "Dear User" instead of your actual name
- Suspicious links: Hover over links to see real URL (amaz0n.com vs amazon.com - note the zero!)
- Spelling/grammar errors: Professional companies proofread their communications
- Requests for sensitive info: Banks NEVER ask for passwords, PINs, or full card numbers via email
- Mismatched sender address: Display name says "PayPal" but email is from @paypa1-security.ru
- Unexpected attachments: Especially .exe, .zip, or macros in documents
The golden rule: If in doubt, don't click! Contact the organisation directly using official contact details (not the details in the suspicious email).