How to Identify Phishing Emails on Apple iPhones

Audience

Public

Task, Issue, and Remedy

Task: Identify phishing links and emails on Apple iPhones (NOTE: This only applies to iPhones)

Issue: One of the methods for identifying phishing links on mobile phones is to press and hold on the link in question; however, iPhones by default open the link in a preview window. The preview window is a security feature provided by Apple but the action taken by the preview app opens the link that indicates a phishing test failure by the user. To remedy this issue, ITS recommends following the steps below to disable this feature on iPhones so the user is not falsely reported as failing a phishing test.

Remedy: Follow the steps below to make the necessary changes to validate questionable links. This change will also prevent you from accidentally opening an unrecognized website or link within your email messages.

Prerequisites

Please update your iPhone to the latest version.

Instructions

Steps to remove the preview feature for reviewing questionable links:

  1. Open this link on the iPhone. https://www.cpcc.edu
  2. Press and Hold on the Central Piedmont Community College Logo (see below)

  1.  A new window will open. At top right select ”Hide Preview” (see below)

  1. Now when you press and hold on links you want to verify you can see the real URL’s address, as well as have options to open, copy, or download. This will assist in deciding whether to open a link or not (see example below).

Outcome

You are now able to successfully identify phishing links using your Apple iPhone.

Further Reading

KnowBe4 Phish Alert Button

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