Scottsdale, Arizona-based internet company GoDaddy apologized on Thursday after an email promising employees a Christmas bonus amidst pandemic-related economic problems turned out to be a computer security test.
“GoDaddy takes the security of our platform very seriously. We understand that some employees were upset by the phishing attempt and felt it was insensitive, which we apologized for,” said a spokesperson for GoDaddy, the largest Internet domain management company in the world. AFP in a statement.
“While the test mimics real-life attempts in today’s game, we need to do better and be more sensitive to our employees,” said GoDaddy.
About 500 employees clicked on a December email from the company offering a $ 650 Christmas bonus and asked them to fill out a form with their personal information.
Two days later, another message appeared in their inbox.
“You are receiving this email because you failed our recent phishing test,” said the email from the GoDaddy security chief, according to the Arizona newspaper Copper Courier.
Commonly used by computer hackers, the phishing technique sends emails claiming to be from a person known to the intended target in order to obtain information to infiltrate their computer systems.
The test email caused a stir on social media as millions of Americans have been hit hard by the economic troubles linked to the pandemic