By: Gonipalli Bharath Vel Tech University, Chennai, India International Center for AI and Cyber Security Research and Innovations, Asia University, Taiwan, Gmail: gonipallibharath@gmail.com
Abstract:
Phishing can be considered one of the most prevalent forms of cyber-threats that affect individuals and institutions around the world. These cyber-attacks are designed to deceive users by disclosing sensitive information, including passwords, finance, or even personal data. Identification of some telltale signs inherent in phishing emails is the recognition and precautionary measure against the threats. It points out some of the key indicators that are going towards malicious emails, provides insight into how phishing scams occur, and supports it with a flow chart about the general phishing attack process.
Introduction:
These days, phishing attacks are becoming more sophisticated, further targeting individuals, businesses, and even government agencies. Cybercriminals compose emails that are very deceiving, aimed at getting sensitive information, including passwords, credit card numbers, or other personal information. Knowing the red flags in these phishing emails can be one way of keeping yourself safe from prospective security breaches. This article will guide you to help and identify key indicators in phishing emails while providing you with techniques on how to protect yourself[[1]].
Suspicious Sender Address
It is always important to check the sender’s email address. Phishing emails are normally from addresses which may sound the same but differ a little bit from that of real entities. They include spelling mistakes in domains, or abnormal characters, or generic e-mail providers instead of official corporate provided one[[2]]. A typical example will be mail from “supp0rt@paypa1.com” instead of “support@paypal.com”, a common phishing scheme. Besides, the attackers can spoof the display name where the name seems valid though the email address is fraudulent.
Generic Greetings & Urgent or Threatening Language
Most legitimate companies will personalize their emails, whether with your name or some kind of account information included. Most phishing emails begin with generic greetings like “Dear Customer,” “Dear User,” or “Valued Member.” This is already a big warning-a complete lack of personalization-but especially if the service in question is one you use regularly. Always question emails that don’t address you directly because a legitimate organization has this information on file. Phishing emails most of the time are designed in a way that forces actions of urgency or fear to be carried out quickly without much thought. The wording often used is something like[[3]], “Your account will be suspended,” “Immediate action required,” or “You have a limited time to respond.” The psychological manipulations are meant to elicit an immediate response by bypassing the rational thinking process. If an e-mail compels one to take urgent action, the request should be investigated through proper channels.
Unexpected Attachments or Links
Be aware of unsolicited attachments or links from an email you were not expecting. These attachments may contain malware, ransomware, and/or viruses with the intent to compromise your device. Hover over the links to see the URL without clicking on them. If it looks suspicious, if the URL does not match the legitimate website, or if the link is to forward to another domain, it’s probably phishing. Always validate any attachment or link before accessing it[[4]].
Spelling and Grammatical Errors
Professional organizations typically proof their correspondence for the purpose of maintaining professional appearances. The majority of the phishing emails have spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and/or awkward phrasing. These cues of a lack of professionalism may be warnings. Not all phishing emails contain errors, but their presence should make any email suspect, including those seemingly from trusted companies[[5]].
Requests for Sensitive Information
Rarely will a legitimate company request sensitive information like passwords, Social Security numbers, or credit card information via email. If an email requests this information, it is most likely a phishing scam. Such methods are used by cybercriminals to collect data for identity theft, financial fraud, or unauthorized account access. Always verify requests for sensitive information through trusted communication channels before providing any personal data[[6]].
Inconsistent Branding
Phishing emails may try to look like legitimate emails but, in most cases, fail to use official branding correctly. Watch out for logos, colors, fonts, and layout inconsistencies. Poor image quality, incorrect logos, and strange formatting are some of the more common signs of phishing. Take any suspicious email and compare it against previous emails from the same company to spot inconsistencies[[7]].
Fig[[8]]
Mismatched URLs & Unusual Requests from Known Contacts
Some phishing emails might have links that appear to visually link to a trusted site but actually take the user to a malicious page. Always hover over links to view the destination URL. If the link text and actual URL do not match, then it is a phishing email. Be particularly wary of URLs containing slight misspellings, extra characters, or unfamiliar domain extensions. A favorite trick of cybercriminals is to register domains that look and sound similar to the domains of legitimate sites.
Such cybercriminals can even hack into an email account and send phishing emails to all the contacts. So, if you get a weird request from your friends, asking for money, sensitive information, or action via clicking on some suspicious link, verify that request through a different channel of communication before responding. Hacked accounts are mainly used to spread phishing attacks in trusted networks, increasing the possibility of success[[9]].
Too Good to Be True Offers
Emails that make unbelievable promises regarding your gain of lottery prizes, very high paid job offers while asking you not to do almost anything, and so on. All these actions play on one’s greed and/or excitement because by clicking some link or submitting private information, people fall victims. Always view offers that pop up unexpectedly and which you didn’t subscribe for as suspicious, or for things that you didn’t apply for.
Poor Email Formatting and Design-Phishing emails
Not all phishing emails are highly sophisticated; most of them still use poor formatting and design. One can look at font styles, sizes, and colors and notice misalignment issues. For any legitimate company, professional email design is important in maintaining brand consistency. Anything less than the usual standard format in official communications should raise suspicion[[10]].
How to Safeguard against Phishing Onsets:
- Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): This adds an additional layer of security to your accounts, making it more difficult for attackers to access your account, even if they have your password.
- Keep Software Up-to-Date: Regular updates patch security gaps that attackers might use.
- Use Anti-Phishing Tools: Most email services and web browsers have integrated tools that can help detect and block phishing attempts.
- Educate Yourself and Others: Awareness through regular training programs helps identify phishing threats and respond to them accordingly.
Conclusion:
Staying alert and ready with your emails is your immediate defense against phishing attacks. Identify these red flags so you and your company are not at the hackers’ mercy. Always verify suspicious emails and never click on untrusted links; report scams to higher powers. Awareness will help in retaining a secure cyberspace environment. Regular education, critical thinking, and proactive behavior in email security will go a long way in reducing phishing risks.
References:
- Burita, Ladislav, Petr Matoulek, Kamil Halouzka, Pavel Kozak, and Department of Informatics and Cyber Operations, University of Defence, 65 Kounicova Street, 66210 Brno, Czech Republic. “Analysis of Phishing Emails.” AIMS Electronics and Electrical Engineering 5, no. 1 (2021): 93–116. https://doi.org/10.3934/electreng.2021006.
- Gupta, B. B., Aakanksha Tewari, Ankit Kumar Jain, and Dharma P. Agrawal. “Fighting against Phishing Attacks: State of the Art and Future Challenges.” Neural Computing and Applications 28, no. 12 (December 1, 2017): 3629–54. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00521-016-2275-y.
- Lain, Daniele, Kari Kostiainen, and Srdjan Čapkun. “Phishing in Organizations: Findings from a Large-Scale and Long-Term Study.” In 2022 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy (SP), 842–59, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1109/SP46214.2022.9833766.
- shanice. “Phishing Prevention Best Practices: How to Detect & Avoid – Valimail,” September 28, 2022. https://www.valimail.com/resources/guides/guide-to-phishing/phishing-prevention-best-practices/.
- Soler, Josep, and Andrew Cooper. “Unexpected Emails to Submit Your Work: Spam or Legitimate Offers? The Implications for Novice English L2 Writers.” Publications 7, no. 1 (March 2019): 7. https://doi.org/10.3390/publications7010007.
- Varshney, Gaurav, Rahul Kumawat, Vijay Varadharajan, Uday Tupakula, and Chandranshu Gupta. “Anti-Phishing: A Comprehensive Perspective.” Expert Systems with Applications 238 (March 2024): 122199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2023.122199.
B. B. Gupta et al., “Fighting against Phishing Attacks: State of the Art and Future Challenges,” Neural Computing and Applications 28, no. 12 (December 1, 2017): 3629–54, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00521-016-2275-y. ↑
Ladislav Burita et al., “Analysis of Phishing Emails,” AIMS Electronics and Electrical Engineering 5, no. 1 (2021): 93–116, https://doi.org/10.3934/electreng.2021006. ↑
Gaurav Varshney et al., “Anti-Phishing: A Comprehensive Perspective,” Expert Systems with Applications 238 (March 2024): 122199, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2023.122199. ↑
Lain, Kostiainen, and Čapkun, “Phishing in Organizations.” ↑
Josep Soler and Andrew Cooper, “Unexpected Emails to Submit Your Work: Spam or Legitimate Offers? The Implications for Novice English L2 Writers,” Publications 7, no. 1 (March 2019): 7, https://doi.org/10.3390/publications7010007. ↑
shanice, “Phishing Prevention Best Practices: How to Detect & Avoid – Valimail,” September 28, 2022, https://www.valimail.com/resources/guides/guide-to-phishing/phishing-prevention-best-practices/. ↑
Alsmirat, M. A., Jararweh, Y., Obaidat, I., & Gupta, B. B. (2017). Internet of surveillance: a cloud supported large-scale wireless surveillance system. The Journal of Supercomputing, 73, 973-992.
- Chui, K. T., Gupta, B. B., & Vasant, P. (2021). A genetic algorithm optimized RNN-LSTM model for remaining useful life prediction of turbofan engine. Electronics, 10(3), 285.
- Kee S.N. (2024) Detecting and Preventing Phishing Attacks in IoT-Based Smart Healthcare Systems, Insights2Techinfo, pp.1
Cite As
Bharath G. (2025) Phishing Red Flags: Key Indicators to Spot a Malicious Email, Insights2Techinfo, pp.1