Phisher Impersonates Roundcube and Uses Deceptive Gmail Address to Attempt Credential Theft
In this phishing attack, the threat actor impersonates Roundcube, a free webmail provider, and sends a notification to the target regarding their account. The attacker uses a Gmail address to bypass basic filters and sets the display name to “Roundcube Email Support” to appear legitimate. The email claims that support for the recipient’s email account will be discontinued unless they update their account by a specific date using the provided link. However, should the target click on the button labeled “Update Your Account,” they will be redirected to a phishing website designed to steal login credentials or other private information. The goal of the attack is to exploit the trust in a known brand and leverage the fear of losing account access in order to manufacture a sense of urgency. The attacker intends to manipulate the recipient into acting quickly without fully scrutinizing the legitimacy of the message and, ultimately, providing sensitive information.
Older, legacy email security tools struggle to accurately identify this email as an attack because it employs sophisticated social engineering techniques, uses professional language and formatting, and does not include malicious attachments. Modern, AI-powered email security solutions detect anomalies in the content, recognize when sender addresses are unknown, and analyze the suspicious link to correctly mark this email as an attack.
Malicious email applying social engineering in an attempt to trick users into clicking a harmful link designed to steal login credentials.
Phishing page disguised as a legitimate portal.
How Does This Attack Bypass Email Defenses?
This email attack bypasses traditional security solutions for multiple reasons, including the following:
- Social Engineering Tactic: By threatening the discontinuation of email support, the email creates a sense of urgency that prompts immediate action without scrutiny.
- Professional Language and Formatting: The email uses professional language and a formal tone that closely mimics legitimate account update communications, bypassing simplistic content filtering.
- Lack of Malicious Attachments: By not including suspicious attachments, the email avoids detection by antivirus and anti-malware systems focused on attachment-based threats.
How Did Abnormal Detect This Attack?
This attack was detected using AI and ML by analyzing various factors, including the following:
- Content Analysis: The email’s urgent message about discontinuing email support and the prompt to update the account are flagged by Abnormal’s advanced content analysis algorithms as a common phishing tactic
- Unknown Sender Consideration: The email is recognized as coming from an unknown sender who has never communicated with the recipient. Abnormal’s platform maintains a communication history and quickly flags deviations from established patterns of sender-recipient interactions.
- Suspicious Link Analysis: The presence of links directing the recipient to update their account raises suspicion, prompting Abnormal’s systems to scrutinize and flag the email for potential malicious activities.
By recognizing established normal behavior and detecting these abnormal indicators, a modern email security solution has the ability to prevent this attack from reaching inboxes.
Please note the exact detection mechanism from Abnormal Security's system might include proprietary techniques and methodologies not disclosed here.