“Dear User”: Sorting Real Emails from Socially Engineered Phishing Attacks

With sophisticated socially engineered phishing attacks on the rise, it’s hard to tell which messages in your inbox are safe. In this video demo, cybersecurity expert Paula Januszkiewicz determines whether a suspicious email she received is really an attempt to steal her credentials.

Do you know how many people take the bait? Statistics are alarming. Take a look like Paula is analyzing her email load and #staycqure.

As Paula’s investigation gets underway, she discovers a link between the timing and contents of the email and an event that occurred in her real life. If the message is a cyber-attack, the threat actor has done their homework.

The email appears to be sent from a car rental firm Avis, but Paula finds several tell-tale signs that the company may have been spoofed. When she takes a closer look at the logo, email address, formatting and the way that the message is worded, things start to smell a bit phishy.

Suspecting that the pdf document attached to the email may be dangerous, Paula analyzed it with a security tool. The results revealed the exploitation of a vulnerability in Adobe. Had Paula opened the pdf in Adobe, the hacker who sent the email would have been able to establish a connection with her machine.

Remember always to evaluate the messages you receive, even the ones that pass through anti-phishing filters.

Do you want more phishing in action? Take new course from CQURE experts to created for all who want take a deep dive into social engineering and phishing.

Social Engineering and Phishing Mastery

 

Comments