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Year 10 Computing — Spotting a phishing message

Check a message against the five signs of a phishing attempt, working out for yourself whether the link in it belongs to whoever the message says it is from.

Name: ________________________

  1. 1.A school's own site name is “oakfield-school.com”. Sort each of these links by whose site it really belongs to.

    Groups: The school's own site · Somebody else's site

    • https://parents.oakfield-school.com/forms
    • https://oakfield-school.com/term-dates
    • https://oakfieldschool.com/term-dates
    • https://oakfield-school.com.sign-in.net/account
    • https://library.oakfield-school.com/books
    • https://oakfield-school.net/term-dates

  2. 2.One of the five signs settles the matter on its own, however innocent the other four look. Which sign is it?

    • a) It asks for a secret
    • b) It is about something you never did
    • c) It does not use your name
    • d) It sets a deadline

  3. 3.A sports club's own site name is “riverside-club.com”. Which one of these links belongs to the club itself?

    • a) https://riversideclub.com/members
    • b) https://riverside-club.com/members
    • c) https://members.riverside-club.net/join
    • d) https://riverside-club.com.members-login.net/join

  4. 4.A message opens with your own name, links to the bank's own site name, mentions no time limit at all, and is about the payment you really did make yesterday. It asks you to type the code that has just arrived on your phone. What follows?

    • a) No signs at all, so the message can be trusted
    • b) One sign, which is too few to worry about
    • c) Two signs, so the message cannot be trusted
    • d) One sign, and that one sign is enough on its own

  5. 5.You have ordered nothing at all. A message reads “Dear Customer, your order cannot be sent. Send us the code that has just arrived on your phone within two hours or the order is cancelled.” It links to “https://orders.parcelpost.com.claim-it.net/fix”, and the courier's own site name is parcelpost.com. How many of the five signs does it show?

  6. 6.Sort each of these messages by whether it sets a deadline, which is the second of the five signs.

    Groups: Sets a deadline · Sets no deadline

    • Confirm within one hour or your prize is given away.
    • Your password was changed on Tuesday.
    • Your account will be closed in 24 hours unless you act.
    • Your parcel is out for delivery today.
    • Here is the reading list for next term.
    • Pay by the end of the day or the charge doubles.

  7. 7.The link “https://library-account.check-now.net/renew” has been cut into its four pieces below. Which piece says whose site the link really belongs to?

    • a) check-now.net
    • b) https://
    • c) /renew
    • d) library-account.

  8. 8.A message comes from your school's own site name, school-office.com. It opens with your own name, is about the trip you signed up for last week, and gives no deadline of any kind. It asks you to type your password so you can see who else is going. Which one of the five signs does this message show?

    • a) It asks for a secret
    • b) It sets a deadline
    • c) The link goes to somebody else's site
    • d) It does not use your name

Answer key — Year 10 Computing — Spotting a phishing message

  1. 1. https://oakfield-school.com/term-dates → The school's own site; https://oakfield-school.com.sign-in.net/account → Somebody else's site; https://parents.oakfield-school.com/forms → The school's own site; https://oakfield-school.net/term-dates → Somebody else's site; https://library.oakfield-school.com/books → The school's own site; https://oakfieldschool.com/term-dates → Somebody else's site
  2. 2. a) It asks for a secret
  3. 3. b) https://riverside-club.com/members
  4. 4. d) One sign, and that one sign is enough on its own
  5. 5. 5
  6. 6. Your account will be closed in 24 hours unless you act. → Sets a deadline; Your parcel is out for delivery today. → Sets no deadline; Confirm within one hour or your prize is given away. → Sets a deadline; Here is the reading list for next term. → Sets no deadline; Pay by the end of the day or the charge doubles. → Sets a deadline; Your password was changed on Tuesday. → Sets no deadline
  7. 7. a) check-now.net
  8. 8. a) It asks for a secret