What to do if you clicked a phishing link

Right away

1. Stop. Don’t enter anything else on the page, and close it.
2. Tell IT now. Call rather than email, in case your email is no longer private. Say what you clicked and whether you typed a password or approved a prompt.
3. Get your password reset if you entered it, through IT or from a different device you trust, and make sure no one else can approve sign-ins for you.
4. Disconnect the computer from the network if a file downloaded or ran, but leave it on so it can be examined.

Within the day

• Check your mailbox for new inbox rules or forwarding you did not create.
• Warn colleagues and anyone the email may have come from.
• If the email was about a payment, call your bank and the vendor using numbers you already have.

Why speaking up quickly matters

Attackers act fast once they have a password. Microsoft has seen payment fraud attempts within minutes of a stolen sign-in. A report in the first few minutes can stop an attack that would take weeks to clean up later. Nobody should be blamed for reporting a click.