Phishing Attack Mimics Capital One Password Reset Notification to Steal Login Credentials
In this phishing attack, cybercriminals impersonate Capital One by sending a spoofed email designed to alarm recipients with a fake password reset notification. The email falsely claims that the recipient's password was recently changed. If the recipient did not authorize the change, they are urged to click a link to cancel the request and secure their account. While the link destination appears to be a login screen for CapitalOne, the embedded link actually redirects through a URL shortener to a malicious website designed to steal login credentials. The email mimics official Capital One communications by using familiar branding, professional language, and a sense of urgency surrounding unauthorized account access. This tactic exploits the recipient's fear of losing control over their banking account, prompting them to act quickly without ensuring the email is authentic.
Older, legacy email security tools struggle to accurately identify this email as an attack because it doesn’t include malicious attachments, employs the use of a URL shortener, and originates from a spoofed sender. 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 name does not match the sender domain to correctly identify the email as an attack.
Phishing attempt impersonating password reset notification from CapitalOne
Malicious portal with CapitalOne branding designed to steal credentials of unsuspecting targets
How Does This Attack Bypass Email Defenses?
This email attack bypasses traditional security solutions for multiple reasons, including the following:
- Lack of Malicious Attachments: By not including suspicious attachments such as HTML files, the email avoids detection by antivirus and anti-malware systems focused on attachment-based threats.
- Use of URL Shortener: The email includes a link shortened by a URL shortener, which helps it pass link verification checks by masking the true destination.
- Spoofed Email Address: The attacker spoofs a legitimate-sounding email address, bypassing basic email verification checks and adding perceived authenticity.
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.
- Suspicious Link Analysis: Abnormal's systems scrutinize the presence of links leading to suspicious domains, triggering deeper analysis for possible malicious intent.
- Sender Name and Domain Mismatch: The sender name does not match the sender domain, raising further suspicion during Abnormal’s analysis.
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.