About Us | Contact Us
View Cart

Auto-Reply Basics

By Vigilize | Tuesday, March 2, 2010 - Leave a Comment

Graphic by Jacki Hadaway

Technology. It’s here and people are not afraid to use it. They want to take full advantage of its possibilities. No stone left unturned so to speak. This includes an e-mail system’s Auto-reply feature. When we are out of the office, we don’t want our clients or other business associates to sit and wonder why we are not responding to their e-mails. We want them to be aware that, for the time being, we are out of the office and will get back with them when we return.

But almost every new technology introduces us to new vulnerabilities. E-mail is no exception. Beware that “black hat” attackers wreaking havoc with phishing attacks will not go away after multi-factor authentication is fully implemented. These attackers will use anything they can to gather information that can be used against an individual or business, and implement what is called an orchestrated attack. By combining seemingly innocent requests for information and other information gathering methods, these criminals can compromise a financial institution’s system. This includes information given out with a user’s Auto-reply feature.

Thus the purpose of this article: Be careful! When using your e-mail’s auto-reply feature, you need to be selective in what you divulge. Many attackers send out a rash of e-mails, just waiting for a recipient’s auto- reply to kick back a response. From there, these crafty individuals will use what information they get to plan a phishing attack or perform pre-text calling, gleaning information that can be used against you in the process. Any bit of information they get can be used in the larger picture of identity theft or masquerading.

In addition, spam attacks can gain momentum with auto-reply messages. Attackers use the messages to enter an endless look of auto-replies replying to auto-replies. This, in the long run, can result in a denial of service, loading mail servers with users’ auto-reply messages. In addition, they can be used to send viruses or worms to innocent victims.

The easiest way to mitigate risk with a particular technology is simply to cease using it. From a policy perspective, consider discouraging or even prohibiting the use of the auto-reply feature altogether. But if you must use your e-mail system’s auto-reply feature, here are a few tips to keep things under control and to be a little safer:

  • DO keep messages simple. State that you are out of the office, but don’t state your reason for being gone.
  • DO get permission before divulging an alternate contact’s information.
  • DO be careful about what you state about your job title (the higher up the ladder, the more attackers attempt to gather and use information).
  • DON’T be specific about the dates you will be away from the office.
  • DON’T divulge an associate’s e-mail address (this is more fuel for their fire). Give a phone number of someone that can help them in your absence instead.
  • DON’T divulge personal information in your auto-reply message (home phone, cell phone, etc.).
  • DON’T set auto-reply messages for your home e-mail. (You may get a very unwanted visitor while you are gone!)

Another step that can be done (see your network administrator) is to use your e-mail system’s filter settings. It’s simple to filter out e-mails that contain auto-reply words or phases in the subject line or header. You can have these messages directed to your “trash bin” rather than having them inundate your “in” basket. This is useful for those loops that the attackers may have set up.

The bottom line is: be careful when using your system’s auto-reply feature. You never know who will be the recipient! And as always, if your company allows auto-reply, be sure to increase user awareness about the vulnerabilities.


 

Latest News
    Artificial intelligence carries risk, but so does organic ignorance … Another one of those Dan’s New Leaf Posts, meant to inspire thought about IT Governance . . . . At a recent conference, I noticed two camps emerging in the debate over artificial intelligence. Some people embrace AI as a tool, while others support Elon […]
    PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BUSINESS NEWS NEW EMPLOYEE FOR INFOTEX We are pleased to announce the appointment of Nathan Taylor as our new Network Administrator at infotex.  “We are very excited to have Nathan join our team as a Network Administrator and look forward to his contributions to maintaining and improving our infrastructure!” […]
    about artificial intelligence . . . And who will protect us from it . . .  Another one of those Dan’s New Leaf Posts, meant to inspire thought about IT Governance . . . . Just watched some press on the the Senate hearings over regulating AI. The normal senator faces, Sam Altman of OpenAI, […]
    The Evolution of an Inside Term Used in our Vendor Risk Report Another one of those Dan’s New Leaf Posts, meant to inspire thought about IT Governance . . . . Those who audit infotex know that our vendor risk report refers to a couple of our providers as “ransomware companies.” This reference started evolving […]
    Another awareness poster for YOUR customers (and users). Now that we have our own employees aware, maybe it’s time to start posting content for our customers! Check out posters.infotex.com for the whole collection! Download the large versions here: Awareness Poster (Portrait) Awareness Poster (Landscape) You are welcome to print out and distribute this around your […]
    New tools could allow unskilled attackers to launch increasingly sophisticated attacks… An article review. Imagine a world where you receive a call from your boss asking you to assist them with something… only it’s not your boss, but an AI being used by an attacker.  This isn’t science fiction, it’s an actual attack that has […]
    Unavailability Strikes Where it doesn’t matter anyway Another one of those Dan’s New Leaf Posts, meant to inspire thought about IT Governance . . . . So, I’m writing today’s article from a resort in the middle of Wisconsin.  I want to make sure I’m staying on top of my New Leaf, which is to […]
    . . . and the importance of segregated response. The latest edition of Executive Vice President, Michael Hartke’s article series! In 2007 when I first joined infotex, coming from small to medium sized business general IT support into the world of cybersecurity, the one thing that was very hard for me to internally rectify was […]
    How concerts can help us understand APTs . . . Especially if you use your imagination! Another one of those Dan’s New Leaf Posts, meant to inspire thought about IT Governance . . . . My daughter reminded me of a concert Stacey and I attended way back in 2013, in Chicago.  It was one […]
    Mutiny! The Malicious Insider Threat Webinar Registration A Webinar-Video It is often awkward to bring up the one attack vector most of us have not addressed. The malicious insider threat. Even if we can flaunt all statistics and claim that the likelihood of an insider attack is low in our bank, the impact is still […]