There are so many threats on the Internet that it can be hard to keep track. Sometimes the most effective methods of attack can be the simplest. Phishing is often one of the most popular attacks – and oftentimes, phishing attacks begin with email. In fact, email spoofing has become a prevalent way to attack email users. A spoofing attack takes advantage of worker apathy and weak cyber security software, usually to steal data or extort money.
With software like Mailprotector’s CloudFilter email filtering solution, and the right training, and workers can learn to recognize dangerous emails and react appropriately. Analytics can help you to understand the danger hidden in messages, and a strong awareness of cybersecurity best practices will encourage proactive defense and diligence whenever your users are on the company network.
Email Spoofing Explained
Email spoofing is the practice of forging a false email header to mislead the recipient into believing the email came from a different, trusted source.
This type of attack can be used to steal private information, which can then be used to further damage an organization.
Extortion, IP theft, and malware infection are just some of the risks a spoofing email attack can present. With so much on the line, a strong email security position is critical to corporate success.
An email filtering solution like CloudFilter can help to keep your inbox safe without missing any important mail.
The Anatomy of an Email Spoofing Attack
Here’s what an email spoofing attack looks like. The owner of your company, or an address that looks convincingly like theirs, emails with an urgent favor with a request that involves opening a link. You’re busy and you get messages like this regularly, so you open it up and see what it says.
You’ve just infected your corporate network.
Now your company data is being ransomed for huge sums of money, development on your latest projects has halted, and word is already getting out that you’ve been hacked. Your competitors are licking their lips as they prepare to snatch your prospects.
This is the very real risk and danger posed by email spoofing attacks.
On an individual basis, a spoofing attack may go after your banking or other financial information. On a corporate scale however, the target of the attack is more likely to be employee login credentials to get access to greater networks, where hackers can then do the real damage.
Data theft puts you at the mercy of the hackers, and can massively disrupt your business. Ransomware can lock you out of your data or spread confidential information until you pay the demanded amount (Be sure to read our eBook on ransomware prevention methods).
Usernames and passwords are frequent targets, as they provide access to greater systems.
To make matters worse, the damage can linger long after you’ve recovered your data. An overhaul of cybersecurity practices in the face of such a disaster would not be uncalled for, but a shift like that takes time and money; resources you may already lack after dealing with the initial hack.
Transitioning to and training your IT and regular staff on a new security module or solution could also be a moot point if your personnel aren’t taking the training seriously. The human element is always a weak point for any cybersecurity apparatus, so vigilance and proactivity are virtues your company should highlight. As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Email Spoofing Methods
Spoofing via display name
Display name spoofing is performed by altering the display name in an email to convince the recipient that the email is from a trusted source. This is a simple and common method, made easy by email providers like Google and Yahoo allowing users to change their display name from the built-in menu.
This spoofing method can bypass spam and security filters, as the email is authentic aside from the display name, even if the contents may be harmful.
As working from phones and tablets becomes more ubiquitous in the workplace, this method of spoofing becomes a greater danger. Most mobile apps do not display the full metadata of a message, leaving only the display visible to the recipient and rendering them ignorant to the danger they are about to unleash.
Spoofing via lookalike domains
This method is a bit more complex, but still relies largely on weak security policies or employee apathy to do the job.
Hackers will create a domain designed to resemble a corporate or professional website for the purpose of tricking workers into opening emails and following links.
These can have identical URLs to trusted sites, and even feature similar page layouts. This can be accomplished by using different language characters as well as Unicode to mimic other characters. In lazy cases, some hackers will simply add a subtle character or two, and hope that your workers don’t notice the difference before they head to malicious sites.
Since these emails are coming from actual domains, they can slip through spam filters to reach your inbox. It may seem simple, but diligence and attention to detail can make all the difference in spotting a spoofing attack.
Always Be Vigilant Against Email Spoofing
The best security system is only as strong as its weakest link, and in the IT world the weakest link is most often the people themselves. The most robust software filtering solution will be meaningless if your employees are careless about passwords and access management.
Any worker on the company network should be trained on recognizing and correctly dealing with spoofing and other cyberattacks. Creating a strong human defense against such tactics will be a massive step towards improving your cybersecurity.
Better trained employees can be held accountable for their errors, as they fully understand the gravity of their responsibility. While creating a secure cyber culture in your office may seem time consuming and difficult, it will pale in comparison to the headaches caused by a successful cyberattack.
Many modern companies are incorporating gamification into their cyber training to help incentivize employees. Risk scores, awards, and responsive modules can all help to ease the transition to a more secure digital workplace.
CloudFilter by Mailprotector
While training your workers is a critical step in buffing your security, that doesn’t mean there is no need for a software solution as well.
Powerful filtering tools like CloudFilter can scan for harmful or offensive content and hold the emails for user review, while letting trusted emails through to your inbox. Users can preview the HTML content of a message and decide if it is safe to open.
To avoid false positives, CloudFilter sends users a notification, and they can then check that the message is safe and legitimate, and if it is a regular and trusted contact, users can whitelist the sender to save time in the future. You can even schedule your notifications for certain times of day to review your inbox at your convenience.
With state-of-the-art analytics, users never have to worry about losing track of where their filtered messages ended up, or why.
Statistics display the reason for the message’s filtering, so you can easily understand what you’re looking at instead of trawling your inbox for information. Geographic information, timeline of the message, and security scores are just a few of the ways CloudFilter keeps your data safe.
CloudFilter is compatible with Microsoft Office 365 and can be strengthened further with other Mailprotector products.
Trying to keep track of Cyberattacks?
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