The message can easily trap you. On their copy of their double-sided ID along with proof of address.
In the example attached to the service, the message actually requests several documents “as part of verification and for security and performance reasons,” also referring to a decree purportedly signed by the service’s administration. The hackers were able to confuse the issue by using the email address “[email protected]”, which corresponds to the domain name of the real website of France's identity.
“Doesn't answer at all. The application warns that France Identity is not the source of these emails, and invites users to report these scams at signal-spam.fr and cybermalveillance.gouv.fr. The connection has been made, and the service has not responded to our requests at this time.
Security breach in France Identity?
For Thibaut Henin, a computer security expert, hackers could have taken advantage of a “vulnerability in France Identity” and succeeded in “compromising the network to send emails from this address.” But another possibility, “which the service seems to suggest,” is to change the title address. “When you send a message to a mail server, it forwards it to the recipient's server, which then delivers it to users. But at a certain point, some servers do not verify the identity of the sender, such as a mailbox that delivers your message without verifying that your address, which you entered on “The circumstance is actually the correct address.”
A hacking method widely practiced about twenty or thirty years ago, but since then, many servers have begun to control the sending of email addresses, “particularly by verifying the encrypted signatures of the message.” “However, it is still possible that hackers have found servers that are still poorly configured and vulnerable, which accept this type of fraudulent maneuvers and deliver a false message to their users,” points out Thibaut Henin.
Once the email is delivered, criminals hope to recover copies of official documents, especially ID. “These copies will then allow identity theft to be carried out, for example to create false payment vouchers. It will then be possible to carry out fraudulent operations, for example by reselling profiles with identities, or by carrying out online administrative procedures, such as consumer credits.” ,” says Nicolas Arbadjian, digital security expert and author of “La Cybersecurity,” in Presses Universitaires. de france.
How to protect yourself?
How can we protect ourselves from these risks and detect fraudulent emails in official communications from France Identity? If this sending address matches the service address, it is difficult to succeed in arbitration. But a clue can put you on your way: the address “[email protected]” clearly states in itself that it does not warrant a response, contrary to what the message is asking you to do.
There are other details to note: the “reply to” field in the header of the email sent to you. As described in the scam alert sheet I posted Rain Academy Cybersecurity PlatformThe email is sent to the address “[email protected]”, entered in the “From” field. But when you try to reply, your message is not sent to this address but to another address, which is pre-filled by hackers and this time it is very fraudulent. In the example used by the Academy, this address is “[email protected]”, which is completely different from the official address.
In general, experts call to pay attention to spelling mistakes that might expose criminals, but also to “calls to action”, these urgent requests that urge you to respond quickly, with a tone of alarm, which you will not find in real messages from your friends. Administrative services. “If in doubt, the best solution is to connect to your personal space on the official website or application, and see if we are asked to complete the procedure,” says Nicolas Arbajian. But above all, “do not rush, and if possible not on mobile,” the expert insists, to avoid any mistakes in dealing.
