Is your team gullible enough to fall for this trap

Cybercriminals are notorious for consistently inventing different ways to trick us into disclosing login details or sensitive data. Thinking that your team might spot an attempted attack, you could be well shocked. In our cyber security role over the years, we have seen many intelligent people (including business leaders) fall for simple attacks.

One of the most recent tricks is exceptionally retro. By all accounts this appears to be why people are being deceived. Hackers have returned to the basics.

They’re snail-mailing USB drives out to their intended victims.

The bundling and marking on the USB drive indicates that they’re from Microsoft. (A little secret - They’re NOT)

The story is there's a new and updated version of Microsoft Office on the drive and it needs to be installed immediately. Obviously, this is a complete lie. Microsoft have confirmed that these bundles are not genuine. Microsoft advise that they never send out uninvited packages.

If you insert the USB drive into your PC it will detect an infection and advise you to call a help line.

The con-artists at the opposite end of the call will pretend to remove the malware and thus gain your trust. Afterward they will request payment details so they can assist with completing your subscription agreement.

It's outdated, yet we can see how the combination of the actual USB, the conviction it's from Microsoft and the phoney help line would be convincing enough for somebody who's busy and simply needs to return to work.

View our Video below.


We all anticipate intricate attacks via our email however our guard is lowered with this blend of events.

Leave nothing to chance, and caution all in your business about this scam.

Now is the right time to review the staff training and systems that you use to safeguard your business. You want the right blend of the two… we can assist with that. Reach Out

Related Services:

Cyber Security
Managed Services
Sophos Advanced Email Protection
Has Your Email Been Breached?
Are You A Sitting Duck?

Alternate references:

PC Mag Article | Beware Microsoft Office Sticks that show up in the mail