--- title: "How Somebody Else Getting Phished Could Leave You in the Dark | DuoCircle" description: "Phishing is so widespread today, you can feel the effects of a phishing attack even if you’re not the one who got phished." image: "https://www.duocircle.com/images/og-default.png" canonical: "https://www.duocircle.com/blog/phishing-protection/how-somebody-else-getting-phished-could-leave-you-in-the-dark/" --- Quick Answer A phishing attack on a third party can affect anyone who depends on that third party. Bleeping Computer reported a campaign against US utility companies using LookBack, a C++ remote-access trojan that gives attackers full admin control over compromised systems, including the ability to disrupt power. The lure impersonated the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) and was delivered from nceess.com, a domain spoof that looks identical to the real NCEES domain at a glance. The attack pattern is consistent across industries and payloads: spear phishing plus domain-name spoofing. Stopping the delivery tactic stops the payload regardless of what it is. Real-time link-click protection and malicious-attachment blocking at the email layer prevent users from reaching the spoofed destinations even when the message itself is convincing. Share [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=undefined%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fhow-somebody-else-getting-phished-could-leave-you-in-the-dark%2F "Share on LinkedIn") [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=How%20Somebody%20Else%20Getting%20Phished%20Could%20Leave%20You%20in%20the%20Dark&url=undefined%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fhow-somebody-else-getting-phished-could-leave-you-in-the-dark%2F "Share on X/Twitter") [ ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=undefined%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fhow-somebody-else-getting-phished-could-leave-you-in-the-dark%2F "Share on Facebook") [ ](https://reddit.com/submit?url=undefined%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fhow-somebody-else-getting-phished-could-leave-you-in-the-dark%2F&title=How%20Somebody%20Else%20Getting%20Phished%20Could%20Leave%20You%20in%20the%20Dark "Share on Reddit") [ ](mailto:?subject=How%20Somebody%20Else%20Getting%20Phished%20Could%20Leave%20You%20in%20the%20Dark&body=Check out this article: undefined%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fhow-somebody-else-getting-phished-could-leave-you-in-the-dark%2F "Share via Email") ![Getting Phished](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2019/08/spf-permerror-7362.jpg) **Phishing is so widespread today**, _you can feel the effects of a phishing attack even if you’re not the one who got phished._ The latest example of this is detailed in a [report](https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/phishing-attacks-target-us-utilities-with-remote-access-trojan/) on Bleeping Computer: “Phishing Attacks Target US Utilities with Remote Access Trojan.” That’s right. A **phishing attack** designed to “give the attackers admin control over the infected systems.” In other words, the ability to turn off your electricity and leave you in the dark. According to the report, “The **phishing emails** received by the targets were designed to mimic official failed examination alerts from the U.S. National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), which is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing professional licensure for engineers and surveyors. The messages used impersonation to trick potential victims into thinking that the domains used to deliver the emails and their contents were from an official source.” Interestingly, the attacks were launched from the domain nceess.com, which is a domain name spoof of the NCEES website. But, if you look at the domain quickly, it can be difficult to notice the difference visually. That’s what the attackers were counting on. [![Malware](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2019/08/smtp-service-1932.jpg)](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2019/08/smtp-service-1932.jpg) The [malware](/email-security/your-business-runs-on-email-dont-let-it-fall-to-malware/) that was part of the phishing payload, dubbed LookBack, “is a remote access Trojan developed in C++ with an impressive list of capabilities which allows attackers to completely take control of compromised machines once infected.” The industries change. The attackers change. The payloads change. The delivery tactics stay the same: spear phishing + domain name spoofing. If you can stop the delivery tactics, the payloads don’t matter. But as you can imagine, depending on human beings to do that is a dangerous proposition. At [DuoCircle](/email/phishing-protection), we help companies, including utility companies, defend themselves against these delivery tactics. With real-time **link click protection** and malicious attachment blocking, even if the email is convincing, you’ll be protected. [![email security services](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2019/08/sendgrid-alternative-2365.jpg)](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2019/08/sendgrid-alternative-2365.jpg) Try our risk free for 30 days. our [email security services](/) work with all email services and you’ll be protected in as little as 10 minutes. Unfortunately, unless your utility company does the same, you may still end up in the dark. ![Brad Slavin](https://media.mailhop.org/dmarcreport/images/team/brad-slavin.jpg) Brad Slavin General Manager General Manager at DuoCircle. Product strategy and commercial lead across the email security portfolio. ## Secure your email infrastructure Protect, authenticate, and deliver. Contact our team to find the right solution. [Contact Sales](/contact/) [Explore Products](/products/) Share this article [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.duocircle.com%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fhow-somebody-else-getting-phished-could-leave-you-in-the-dark%2F) [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=How%20Somebody%20Else%20Getting%20Phished%20Could%20Leave%20You%20in%20the%20Dark&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.duocircle.com%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fhow-somebody-else-getting-phished-could-leave-you-in-the-dark%2F) [ ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.duocircle.com%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fhow-somebody-else-getting-phished-could-leave-you-in-the-dark%2F) Copy Related Articles - [ ![AI-Generated Phishing](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2026/04/spf-record-4522.jpg) AI-Generated Phishing Has Eliminated the Typo: Why Traditional Email Filters Are No Longer Enough Phishing ](/blog/ai-generated-phishing-eliminates-typos-making-traditional-email-filters-ineffective/) - [ ![spf-permerror-4555](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2023/05/spf-permerror-4555.jpg) 10 Applications of ChatGPT that Hackers Are Already Exploiting Phishing ](/blog/phishing-protection/10-applications-of-chatgpt-that-hackers-are-already-exploiting/) - [ ![Email-Based Cyber-Attacks](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2016/03/spf-record-tester-4455.jpg) 65% of Global Businesses Ill-Equipped to Defend Against Email-Based Cyber-Attacks Phishing ](/blog/phishing-protection/65-global-businesses-ill-equipped-defend-email-based-cyber-attacks/) - [ ![Email-based Ransomware Attacks](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2018/02/email-smtp-service-7834.jpg) 7 Ways to Protect Your Organization from Email-based Ransomware Attacks Phishing ](/blog/phishing-protection/7-ways-protect-organization-email-based-ransomware-attacks/) ## Related Articles [ Phishing 11m AI-Generated Phishing Has Eliminated the Typo: Why Traditional Email Filters Are No Longer Enough Apr 28, 2026 ](/blog/ai-generated-phishing-eliminates-typos-making-traditional-email-filters-ineffective/)[ Phishing 5m 10 Applications of ChatGPT that Hackers Are Already Exploiting May 3, 2023 ](/blog/phishing-protection/10-applications-of-chatgpt-that-hackers-are-already-exploiting/)[ Phishing 4m 65% of Global Businesses Ill-Equipped to Defend Against Email-Based Cyber-Attacks Mar 29, 2016 ](/blog/phishing-protection/65-global-businesses-ill-equipped-defend-email-based-cyber-attacks/)[ Phishing 9m 7 Ways to Protect Your Organization from Email-based Ransomware Attacks Feb 11, 2018 ](/blog/phishing-protection/7-ways-protect-organization-email-based-ransomware-attacks/) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","name":"DuoCircle LLC","url":"https://www.duocircle.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.duocircle.com/images/duocircle-logo.png"},"description":"DuoCircle is a portfolio of specialized email products covering protection, authentication, delivery, and routing. 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