Examples of Phishing Emails
Phishing is a type of social engineering cyberattack in which cybercriminals impersonate a legitimate company or individual using a fraudulent email to steal sensitive data or install malware on a user’s device.
Real-world examples of phishing emails are structured to resemble real emails. Most of them demand urgent action (such as reset passwords, confirm personal data, etc.) or contain unsolicited attachments. However, highly targeted phishing attacks are hard to identify.
The best way to keep your employees safe from phishing attacks is to educate them on the different types of malicious emails. Also, guide your team members on how to analyze each email structure to recognize anything suspicious.
The Anatomy of a Phishing Email
A recent survey from GreatHorn points out that users fail to identify nearly half of phishing attacks. This happens because employees lack cybersecurity awareness and because cybercriminals do their job in creating highly customized emails that resemble real ones. The following characteristics are common in malicious emails:
Unusual sender
Unexpected or unsolicited attachments and files
'Too good to be true' kind of offers or requests
Poor spelling and grammar
Urgent or threatening requests with a sense of urgency
Non-personalized messages
Common requested actions in Phishing Emails
To install malware or steal sensitive data from users, attackers incite victims to execute malicious actions, which can vary from providing log-in information to installing an infected file. Here are a few examples of frequently requested actions incorporated in a phishing email:
- Inform or confirm personal data (Social Security number, Passport, or any other document)
- Provide personal or corporate credit card details
- Connection requests from Linkedin or any other social media channel
- Unsolicited reset password emails
Examples of Malicious Emails and Landing Pages
How many of your team members can ID a phishing email? Here’s how you’ll know.
