Attacker Takes Over Established Domain in Likely AI-Generated Credential Phishing
This likely AI-generated attack features a takeover of “info@yuhou.co.ip” in a credential theft attempt. After breaking into the account, the attacker sends a step-by-step instruction guide for accessing a payment receipt. The attacker pretends to be an employee named “Kate” from Yuhou Co. Ltd, a Japan-based manufacturing company. The attacker hopes the recipient clicks on the “Download Here” link towards the bottom of the message, which leads to a malicious IPFS gateway where the attacker will likely steal sensitive information.
Legacy email security tools have difficulty correctly identifying this email as an attack because of the embedded link, advanced phishing techniques, and the older domain age. Modern, AI-powered email security solutions accurately flag this email as an attack because of the unknown sender, link analysis, and social engineering detection.
How Does This Attack Bypass Email Defenses?
This email attack bypasses traditional security solutions for multiple reasons, including the following:
- Embedded Link: The email contains a link to an external site. Legacy security tools may not be able to analyze the linked site's content for potential threats.
- Phishing Techniques: The email uses social engineering techniques to trick the recipient into clicking on the link, including posing as an employee and providing instructions for viewing a payment receipt. Legacy tools may not be able to detect such sophisticated phishing techniques.
- Domain Age: The sender's domain is 21 years old. Legacy security tools often consider older domains more trustworthy, which could allow this email to bypass them.
How Did Abnormal Detect This Attack?
This attack was detected using AI and ML by analyzing various factors, including the following:
- Unknown Sender and Domain: Abnormal detects that this domain and email address have never sent email to the recipient in the past, a strong sign the message could be malicious.
- Link Analysis: Abnormal's AI analyzes the linked site's content for potential threats. The email contains a link to an external site, often used for credential phishing.
- Social Engineering Detection: Abnormal's AI can detect sophisticated social engineering techniques. The email poses as an employee and provides instructions for viewing a payment receipt, a common phishing technique.
A modern email security solution can prevent this attack from reaching inboxes by recognizing established normal behavior and detecting these abnormal indicators.
Please note the exact detection mechanism from Abnormal Security's system might include proprietary techniques and methodologies not disclosed here.