The Ways Office 365 Phishing Can Happen
Office 365 is a popular office suite used by workplaces all over the world. Not only do Windows users utilize it, but iOS customers do as well.
That’s how versatile Office 365 is.
But just because it’s widely used doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its vulnerabilities. Windows has over 60 million commercial customers, which means cybercriminals are drawn to this enormous pool of potential victims.
You can avoid being an Office 365 phishing victim by learning what you need to watch out for. Read on and find out how you can identify phishing attacks.
Fake non-delivery emails
Office 365 phishing attacks are so effective because they masquerade as Microsoft. A fake non-delivery email from “Microsoft” looks harmless enough. It’s cleverly replicated so you don’t think twice about clicking on “send again.”
However, once you do, it’ll open a spoofed Office 365 login page. Your login credentials are then sent to the cybercriminals after you type them in. With this information, they’ll try other websites to see if they can access your accounts.
This non-delivery email scam is sophisticated since it involves a JavaScript function. This function sends your credentials to the scammers discreetly and redirects you to the genuine Outlook login page so you don’t suspect a thing.
Circumvention of Office 365 anti-phishing measures
Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection comes as part of the office suite. It’ll block any emails if their attachments or links match ones that are known to be malicious. Otherwise, the emails make it through office 365 atp anti-phishing security.
Cybercriminals know this and have found a workaround. They send legitimate files through programs like SharePoint so their communication with you is successful. But inside the file are the malicious links. When you click on the links, you’ll get a spoofed login page.
MORE: Setup Office 365 Anti-Phishing Policy
Ways to detect phishing attacks
Here are a few simple ways you can tell if an email is a phishing attack:
- Display names or email addresses have different characters (e.g. a capital “i” in place of an “l”)
- Unexpected links or attachments
- Spelling and grammar errors
- Lack of corporate signatures
If you notice any of these red flags, be sure to let your security officer know so your entire workplace can be on alert.
Upgrade your email security for Office 365
To get the best security for Office 365, you can’t just rely on office 365 phishing protection alone. Anti-phishing software can be an excellent add-on to your existing cybersecurity. The more defenses you have, the better you can catch any phishing attempts that might slip through the cracks.
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