Although spoofed emails are largely associated with spamming campaigns and targeted phishing attacks, there are multiple reasons why spammers and scammers adopt this tactic. Effortlessly easy to employ, email spoofing can be performed in minutes using some simple mailing software and an SMTP server. Read on to discover some of the many reasons why cybercriminals use email spoofing in their nefarious activities.
1. Hiding a sender’s identity
If this is the scammer’s sole goal, it can be achieved far easier by simply registering an anonymous email address. But spoofing to hide a sender’s real identity is often an integral part of cybercriminal attacks and campaigns.
2. Avoiding detection by blacklists
Prolific spammers are often identified by the cybersecurity community and over time they can find themselves blacklisted. This means that regardless of how many messages they send out, they are all safely filtered into junk or spam folders and never reach their targets. Spoofing an address can allow spammers to conveniently keep using their email account while masquerading as another sender to penetrate network defences.
3. Impersonating a known individual
Hackers sometimes use email spoofing to pretend to be someone known to the recipient. If the victim believes they are communicating with a friend or family member, they may be more easily fooled into offering up their personal information or accounts. And, if a hacker impersonates the target’s close colleagues or manager, they may give access to company data.
4. Impersonating an enterprise or organisation
Using spoofed emails can allow cybercriminals to pretend they are contacting users from a business they are connected to. For example, they may impersonate the recipient’s bank or an online payment service to trick them into parting with financial details, such as account information and credit card details.
5. Ruining the reputation of individuals and enterprises
Malicious users can also spoof emails to damage the image or reputation of a person or company. By writing out of character or putting unpleasant content in emails, they can frame the sender they are pretending to be in a bad light as part of a damaging campaign with long-term consequences.
6. Committing identity theft
Sending out emails from a spoofed user address can also be for the purpose of identity theft. Those contacted by the impersonator will believe they are dealing with the true individual and may divulge a wealth of sensitive information safeguarded in bank, healthcare and even government accounts.
Comprehensive email security
Our secure platform at Galaxkey offers a strong suite of tools to help IT professionals protect users from the schemes and scams employed by cybercriminals, including spoofing. Imagine that when employees received an email, they could be completely sure that the contents had not been tampered with or viewed by prying eyes and they would be able to trust and verify who the sender was.
Our cutting-edge system features powerful and innovative tools to empower enterprises with the ultimate solution for secure email. Combining end-to-end encryption with dedicated features, including digital sign and email tracking, our system can provide all these capabilities and more. Contact us today for details.
