{"id":58858,"date":"2020-06-15T13:09:06","date_gmt":"2020-06-15T13:09:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/?p=58858"},"modified":"2024-08-20T05:53:28","modified_gmt":"2024-08-20T05:53:28","slug":"how-to-spot-a-phishing-email","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/how-to-spot-a-phishing-email\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Spot a Phishing Email?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Summary<\/strong>: Ransomware attacks, malware infections, man-in-the-middle attacks, etc., are some of the common cyber threats faced by organizations today. However, the most prevalent and dangerous cyber threat is phishing. Unfortunately, due to a lack of knowledge about email phishing, most people fall victim to such scams. According to a Verizon report, phishing accounts for 32% of all cyberattacks. In this blog, we take a closer look at email phishing and discuss some tell tale signs (with examples) that can help you identify a phishing email quickly.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>

What is Email Phishing?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>

Email phishing is a social engineering attack in which a cybercriminal uses a disguised email to steal login credentials, business documents, trade secrets, etc., from a recipient or a group of recipients. The sender masquerades as a trusted entity, like a government agency or a known organization, to trick the recipient into sharing sensitive information.<\/p>

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However, you can quickly identify phishing emails and protect yourself by being careful. The following are some tell tale signs that can help you spot a phishing email: <\/p>

1. Message Received from Public Email Domain<\/strong><\/h3>

Almost every reputed organization has its email domain and company account. So, if you have received an email from IRS whose website name is www.irs.gov<\/strong>, the email address should be contact@irs.gov <\/strong>or support@irs.gov<\/strong> (both end with “@irs.gov<\/strong>”). Generally, a reputed organization doesn’t send messages from a public email domain. If you receive an email from a reputed company or organization, but the email address has a public email domain, i.e., it ends with @gmail.com, @outlook.com<\/strong>, etc., then it can be a sign of a phishing attack.<\/p>

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Figure 1:<\/strong> A Phishing Email Impersonating PayPal<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>

Figure 1<\/em><\/strong> illustrates a phishing email in which paypal.mailer@outlook.com<\/strong> sends the message. Note how the sender uses PayPal in the username to make it look legitimate. The sender even applied PayPal’s branding in the email content with the official logo and blue login button (blue is the primary color in PayPal’s branding) to trick the message receiver. However, the domain name @outlook.com<\/strong> is a dead giveaway. An official PayPal email will always have an email address that ends with @paypal.com<\/strong>.<\/p>

2. Misspelled Domain Names<\/strong><\/h3>

Some cybercriminals buy domain names similar to trusted ones to make the deceiving easier. For instance, they may buy a domain name, like www.linked-in.com<\/strong> or www.linkeden.com<\/strong>. Both domain names are similar to LinkedIn’s official domain name www.linkedin.com<\/strong>. They can then send an email from an address that looks like support@linked-in.com<\/strong> to mislead the recipient. Henceforth, you should always check the spelling of the email address when you receive a suspicious message before you respond.<\/p>

3. Malicious Web Pages<\/strong><\/h3>

Sometimes, cybercriminals send emails containing legitimate-looking URLs that trick the user into sharing personal, confidential, and financial information. When you click such a malicious URL, it usually takes you to a landing page, where you are asked to provide some sensitive information. This landing page can also give you signals about the phishing attack. You can refer to the sample landing page in Figure 2<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>

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Figure 2: <\/strong>A Landing Page with Fake Twitter URL<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>

The following are a few signs that suggest it is a malicious web page:<\/p>