Cofense Logo - Email Security Solutions

Phishing Database: Real Email Phishing Attack Examples & Threats

Define the search below to see the real threats that are currently evading your SEG.

The top SEGs in the world missed all of these phishing attacks.
Cofense clients don’t have to worry about that.

1,701 Total Threats Caught by Cofense
SEG Miss Screenshot

Proofpoint

Type: Credential Phishing

Posted On: 05/23/2023

Tactic: Link

Theme: Notification

Phishing Example Description:
Notification-themed emails found in environments protected by Proofpoint, Microsoft ATP, and Mimecast deliver Credential Phishing via an embedded link.

SEG Miss Screenshot

Microsoft Defender for O365

Type: Credential Phishing

Posted On: 05/23/2023

Tactic: Link

Theme: Notification

Phishing Example Description:
Notification-themed emails found in environments protected by Proofpoint, Microsoft ATP, and Mimecast deliver Credential Phishing via an embedded link.

SEG Miss Screenshot

Mimecast

Type: Credential Phishing

Posted On: 05/23/2023

Tactic: Link

Theme: Notification

Phishing Example Description:
Notification-themed emails found in environments protected by Proofpoint, Microsoft ATP, and Mimecast deliver Credential Phishing via an embedded link.

SEG Miss Screenshot

Proofpoint

Type: Credential Phishing

Posted On: 05/22/2023

Tactic: Link

Theme: Notification

Phishing Example Description:
Notification-themed emails found in environments protected by Proofpoint and Microsoft ATP deliver Credential Phishing via an embedded link.

SEG Miss Screenshot

Microsoft Defender for O365

Type: Credential Phishing

Posted On: 05/22/2023

Tactic: Link

Theme: Notification

Phishing Example Description:
Notification-themed emails found in environments protected by Proofpoint and Microsoft ATP deliver Credential Phishing via an embedded link.

SEG Miss Screenshot

Microsoft Defender for O365

Type: Credential Phishing

Posted On: 05/19/2023

Tactic: Link

Theme: Docusign-spoofing

Phishing Example Description:
DocuSign-spoofing emails found in environments protected by Microsoft ATP and Proofpoint deliver Credential Phishing via an embedded link.

SEG Miss Screenshot

Proofpoint

Type: Credential Phishing

Posted On: 05/19/2023

Tactic: Link

Theme: Docusign-spoofing

Phishing Example Description:
DocuSign-spoofing emails found in environments protected by Microsoft ATP and Proofpoint deliver Credential Phishing via an embedded link.

SEG Miss Screenshot

Microsoft Defender for O365

Type: Credential Phishing

Posted On: 05/18/2023

Tactic: Link

Theme: Notification

Phishing Example Description:
Notification-themed emails found in environments protected by Microsoft ATP deliver Credential Phishing via an embedded link.

SEG Miss Screenshot

Proofpoint

Type: Remcos RAT, Agent Tesla Keylogger

Posted On: 05/18/2023

Tactic: XLS Attachment

Theme: Finance

Phishing Example Description:
Finance-themed emails found in environments protected by Proofpoint deliver Remcos RAT and Agent Tesla Keylogger via an Excel attachment.

SEG Miss Screenshot

Microsoft Defender for O365

Type: Credential Phishing

Posted On: 05/17/2023

Tactic: Link

Theme: Finance

Phishing Example Description:
Finance-themed emails found in environments protected by Microsoft ATP and Proofpoint deliver Credential Phishing via an embedded link.

Frequently Asked Questions

A phishing attack is when a fraudster sends an email to trick the recipient. The idea is to persuade the target into giving up sensitive information, for instance, your corporate network credentials, or perhaps to authorize some type of financial transaction. The vast majority of data breaches against businesses today begin as phishing attacks.

Just a couple of famous phishing examples:

The infamous Target breach back in 2013 started with a phishing email that gave attackers a foothold in Target’s business systems for further attacks.
Phishing appeared prominently in the Mueller Report on the 2016 presidential election hacking.

Some quick phishing statistics:

Over 55% organizations experienced a successful phish last year.
$12 billion is the 5-year global cost of just one type of phishing attack, business email compromise (BEC).
The average phishing attack costs a mid-sized business $3.86 million.

Our database has thousands of phishing examples, but most fit into one of these 3 categories:

Phishing Emails with Malicious Links: Sometimes a phishing attack is simply an email with an embedded link. When you click, you either unknowingly activate malware or are directed to a webpage that looks perfectly legitimate but is designed to harvest your information.

Phishing Attacks with Malicious Attachments: Phishing attackers often send emails with attachments containing malware. When you click, look out. Many times phishing attackers use popular document types such as Microsoft Word or Excel or even Adobe PDFs. They take advantage of the trust people place in popular business tools.

Business Email Compromise (BEC): BEC emails, also known as CEO Fraud, typically don’t use malware but simply try to manipulate the target into sending money. Traditionally, BEC phishing attacks try to get employees in the finance department to authorize wire transfers, for instance, to a “vendor” or “partner.” This kind of attack often uses ‘CEO fraud phishing’ where attackers pretend to be the CEO or CFO to spur quick action.

Phishing attack examples of real phish provide highly useful intelligence that helps security teams better pinpoint attacker methods and tactics. They help protect businesses from malware-bearing phish. Because attacker campaigns change quickly, real-world phishing examples are a central component of comprehensive security. Phishing attack examples reveal the latest threat actor maneuvers as they are being launched.

All third-party trademarks referenced by Cofense whether in logo form, name form or product form, or otherwise, remain the property of their respective holders, and use of these trademarks in no way indicates any relationship between Cofense and the holders of the trademarks.

Search

We use our own and third-party cookies to enhance your experience by showing you relevant content, personalizing our communications with you, and remembering your preferences when you visit our website. We also use them to improve the overall performance of our site. You can learn more about the cookies and similar technology we use by viewing our privacy policy. By clicking ‘Accept,’ you acknowledge and consent to our use of all cookies on our website.

This site is registered on wpml.org as a development site.