Security Updates & Tips

THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED FREQUENTLY WITH NEW INFORMATION

10/1/20 UPDATE:
We are actively working to keep you informed.

Added security was installed for Exchange. You will now see emails that are suspected to be malicious or spam appear in the Junk folder in Outlook. For more information on dealing with junk mail, click here.

Pay special attention to attachment titles to see if it has the word "Invoice" or contains the word "Invoice" in it. Please use caution when opening attachments, clicking links, or responding to email.  Before opening any attachment, always confirm the sender did in fact send you an attachment. Contact your desktop support or IT security staff for assistance and to report suspicious messages.

TIPS FOR HANDLING EMAIL

SENDING EMAILS:

• When sending attachments through email, ensure you make the Subject line pertinent to the email and name your attachments something that will stand out and is NOT generic (Sample of generic subject: invoice.doc, Payment Needed, etc.). This may not be possible with some of our automated systems.
  
  
• Add your signature block (if you do not do this by default already) to the email when sending out emails with attachments. Malicious actors can not replicate your signature block in their attacks so when someone receives the email with your signature block, it helps verify the email is legitimate.

RECEIVING EMAILS:

• If you do NOT usually receive emails with Invoices attached, be curious. Question why you may be receiving the email and if the sender is legit.
  
  
  • Stop and take a pause before continuing. Look closely at the senders full email address. You will need to open the email to see the email address that it was sent from. DO NOT open any attachments or click on any link when you open the email. Just verify the sender's email address. (See below for more information on what to look for in an email address).
    
    
  • Call the sender to verify that they sent the email. Especially if it was another state agency or a common vendor that you work with.
    
    
• If you usually DO receive emails with invoices attached, practice the same steps as above. Stop and Pause before just opening the attachment clicking a link.
  
  
• To check the email address of the sender, follow the steps below.
  
  
  • Double click on the email to open it. DO NOT open any attachment or click on any link. Simply double click on the email to see the sender's email address.
    
    
  • The email address can be viewed in two different ways. It may show up in the body of the email under the "From: xxx" block of text.
    
    
    
    
  • Or...you may need to double click on the Senders name in the To: field to see the email address it was sent from. It will be located under "Send Email".
    
    
    
    
  • If the sender address looks suspicious, please write it down and send it in an email to DES IT Support 4U (desitsupport4u@des.wa.gov). In the body of the email, include the suspicious email address and let IT4U know that you permanently deleted the email.
    
    
  • Make sure you delete the email and then delete your Deleted Items as well.
    TIP-You can permanently delete an email by holding down the Shift button when you click delete.