Cybercriminals have always been sneaky, finding new ways to trick people and sneak past security measures. They’re like the magicians of the digital world, but instead of pulling rabbits out of hats, they’re trying to steal personal information. One of their latest tricks involves using Microsoft Word documents — something many of us open every day without a second thought.

Think about this: You get an email that looks like it’s from your job’s HR department. It says you’ve got some awesome benefits or bonuses waiting for you. Naturally, you’re curious and excited, right? So, you open the attached Word document. But here’s where the cybercriminals’ trickery comes in.

The document you open seems to be broken, but Word steps in, playing the hero, asking if you want to fix the file. You agree because you want to see what this bonus is all about. Once it’s “fixed,” the document shows up looking legit with your company’s logo and all. But there’s a sneaky twist: a QR code is sitting there, waiting for you to scan it with your phone.

Here’s the trap: the moment you scan that QR code, it sends you to a fake website that looks just like a Microsoft login page. The page then asks for your login details, and if you give them up, the cybercriminals behind this scheme have got what they came for — they can sneak into your digital life and cause chaos.

Even though this might sound pretty high-tech and complicated, the main thing to remember is that these bad guys are using old tricks in new ways. They are mixing broken Word files, which might slip past some antivirus programs or online security checks, with QR codes to trick people into handing over their personal details. Websites like VirusTotal, which usually can spot these traps, might miss them because the file doesn’t seem harmful at first glance.

The emails come with different subject lines and themes, often promising perks and bonuses, but they all have one thing in common: a jumble of characters in the filename that translate to “##TEXTNUMRANDOM45##” when decoded. This is the cybercriminals’ calling card for this particular scheme.

So, how do you keep yourself safe from such crafty tactics? It’s important to be cautious of unexpected emails and attachments, even if they seem to come from familiar sources. Always verify the authenticity before opening or taking any action.

If all of this information feels a bit overwhelming and you’re thinking, “How in the world am I supposed to keep up with these threats?” don’t worry. Diversified Outlook Group is here to help. They’ve got the skills and smarts to help you and your organization stay safe from these digital tricksters. Reach out to them at support@diversifiedoutlookgroup.com for guidance or to learn more about what you can do to protect yourself from phishing attacks and other cyber threats.

For more information on this topic, you can visit the detailed article at www.csoonline.com/article/3615480/phishing-mit-word-dokumenten-und-qr-code.html.