Microsoft Outlook 2010 Rule to Match Against HTML Source?
Problem
A client receives phishing e-mails with link manipulation: the displayed text for a link (the text between the anchor "a" tags) shows a random safe URL, while the actual URL in the HTML source links to the phishers' site. For example: {Phishing URL} remains the same between all the e-mails; nothing…
Error Output
<a href={Phishing URL}> {Variable Safe URL} </a>Unverified for your environment
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1 Fix
Create Outlook Rule to Filter Phishing Emails by HTML Source
Phishing emails often use deceptive link text to mislead users. The actual URLs in the HTML source code are not visible in the email client, making it difficult for users to identify phishing attempts. By creating a rule in Outlook that checks the HTML source for known phishing URLs, users can filter these emails before they reach their inbox.
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- 1
Open Outlook Rules Settings
Launch Microsoft Outlook 2010 and navigate to the 'Home' tab. Click on 'Rules' in the ribbon, then select 'Manage Rules & Alerts' to open the rules settings.
- 2
Create New Rule
In the 'Rules and Alerts' dialog, click on 'New Rule'. Choose 'Apply rule on messages I receive' under 'Start from a blank rule' and click 'Next'.
- 3
Set Conditions for Phishing URLs
In the conditions list, check 'with specific words in the message header'. Click on 'specific words' and enter the known phishing URL (e.g., 'http://phishing-url.com'). Click 'Add', then 'OK', and 'Next'.
- 4
Specify Action for Matching Emails
Choose an action such as 'move it to the specified folder' or 'delete it'. If moving, click on 'specified' to select the folder where these emails should be sent. Click 'Next'.
- 5
Finalize and Activate the Rule
Review the rule settings and click 'Finish'. Ensure the rule is checked in the 'Rules and Alerts' dialog. Click 'OK' to save and activate the rule.
Validation
To confirm the fix worked, send a test email containing the phishing URL in the HTML source to the configured Outlook account. Verify that the email is either moved to the specified folder or deleted as per the rule's action.
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