Beware of phone calls – even on Teams

Dear Colleague,

we are observing an escalation in vishing attacks, which use fraudulent phone calls or voice messages, sometimes using AI that can mimic the voices of real people the victim knows.

In the most sophisticated attacks, criminals gather information about victims and their contacts from online sources (official websites, directories, social networks…) or through previous attacks (such as the one suffered by Saleloft Drift), and contact them in a convincing manner, pushing them to disclose information or perform actions without following company procedures.

In other cases, simpler large-scale attacksare attempted by contacting randomly generated phone numbers, presenting a common issue and requesting information or payments to resolve it (e.g. a blocked or pending shipment, a payment to be made, a password to be updated, an expiring account, etc.).

You may receive fraudulent calls on landlines, mobile phones, and even on Microsoft Teams, at the work phone number visible in the “Calls” menu.

Please pay close attention to the following warning signs:

• you receive a call (even on Teams) from an unknown number
• the caller seems familiar but responds slowly or uncertainly
• the caller asks for information about you or your work
• you are asked to take urgent action with serious consequences if you do not comply
• you are asked for a code received via email, SMS or an app.

Please remember these recommendations:

• Do not share personal or company information unless you are certain of the caller’s identity. If in doubt, contact the person through a separate channel.
• Report suspicious attempts of phone contact related to work by writing to security@eng.it and csirt@cybertech.eu.
• Avoid handling unexpected calls if you are busy or on the move, when you cannot focus on the call.

You are the #FirstLineofDefence – in many cases, your attention is necessary and sufficient to neutralise a cyber attack!

Thanks for your cooperation.

Best regards
Group Information Security Office