Is that email a scam or real? Take Google’s test to find out

Can you spot a phishing email more effectively than Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager? You’ll find out by taking Google’s new online quiz ( https:// phishingquiz.withgoogle.com) to test your ability to distinguish scam emails from legitimate ones.

Each scam in the test is based on real attacks, including the one in 2016 when hackers working with Russian intelligence gained access to the email account of Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager John Podesta, tricking him with a sophisticated spearphishing message. Another scam recreates the massive attack on Google Drive users in 2017.

To take the test you need to provide a name and email address (these can be fake). After you select your answer, you’re shown an explanation why the email is real or fake, and tips on how to stay safe. One of the most important is hovering your cursor over the button you’re asked to click, which reveals its URL at the bottom of your screen. You can then check whether the URL is genuine.

The test is the work of Google Jigsaw, a think tank that looks at how technology can help solve social and political problems around the world. Previous Jigsaw projects include software to block people leaving abuse online, and a service that helps websites prevent DDOS attacks.

Writing online ( www. snipca.com/30436), Jigsaw’s product manager Justin Henck said one per cent of all emails are phishing attempts, making it “by far the most common form of cyber-attack”.

What’s your score in this test? Please let us know: letters@ computeractive.co.uk