Phishing Attack Impersonates Apple with Fake "Apple ID Locked" Notification to Steal Sensitive Information
In this phishing attack, cybercriminals use a spoofed email address to impersonate Apple, sending a fraudulent security notification. Using the subject line, “Apple ID locked”, the email falsely claims that the recipient’s Apple ID has been locked for security reasons and instructs them to click an embedded link and then enter their Apple ID and password. However, should the target click the button labeled “Unlock your Apple ID”, they will be redirected to a phishing site designed to steal their credentials. The malicious email carefully mimics the format and tone of official Apple communications, utilizing familiar branding elements, layout, and language patterns commonly seen in legitimate emails from Apple to create a convincing appearance of credibility and lure recipients into trusting its content. By leveraging the fear of losing access to an Apple ID—a key service linked to personal and financial data—the attacker hopes to manipulate the recipient into clicking the malicious link and providing sensitive information without verifying the email's authenticity.
Older, legacy email security tools struggle to accurately identify this email as an attack because it is sent from a spoofed email address, employs the use of a legitimate link, and lacks malicious attachments. Modern, AI-powered email security solutions flag that the sender is unknown to the recipient, detect links to suspicious domains, and recognize that the sender domain does not match any domains in the message to correctly identify the email as an attack.
Phishing attack poses as Apple Support to trick targets into providing sensitive information
How Does This Attack Bypass Email Defenses?
This email attack bypasses traditional security solutions for multiple reasons, including the following:
- Spoofed Email Address: The attacker spoofs a legitimate-sounding email address, bypassing basic email verification checks and adding perceived authenticity.
- Legitimate Links Included: The email incorporates real links to Apple’s website, which can lend it a veneer of authenticity and allow it to bypass simple link verification checks.
- Absence of Malicious Attachments: By not including any attachments and only using a link, 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:
- 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 sender-recipient interaction patterns.
- Unusual Sending Behavior: The sender domain does not match any of the domains found in the body links, raising suspicion.
- Suspicious Link Analysis: Abnormal's systems scrutinize the presence of links leading to suspicious domains, triggering deeper analysis for possible malicious intent.
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.