Email attacks are now a significant risk to business security, with incidents escalating rapidly. In 2023, email-based cyberattacks increased by an astonishing 222%, making email the leading attack vector for organizations worldwide.
A lack of proactive defense mechanisms, training, and secure technology makes email an open door for attackers. As cyber threats become more complex and frequent, businesses face a reality that’s impossible to ignore: email security is no longer optional—it’s essential.
Let’s dive into the types of email attacks and explore how you can build a robust defense to keep your business safe.
Types of Email Attacks
Hackers use different attack vectors to target email systems. While different attack vectors may employ different methods, they ultimately have a specific purpose when executing the attack.
The most common techniques used to attack emails include identity theft, phishing, viruses, and spam emails.
Let’s take a closer look at the common techniques that threaten email security.
Identity Theft
Many organizations these days are using Microsoft Office 365, G Suite, Zoho, or similar services to manage their email systems. Other than hosting emails, services like these offer a suite of useful business tools to manage information in one place. Some apps in the suite include added cloud storage space, project management and collaboration tools, the Office suite, and much more.
Since they are all part of the same suite as the email service, end users do not need a separate set of login credentials to access them. Whether a company uses the above-mentioned services or its proprietary service, it tends to face the same consequences when a hacker manages to get hold of a user’s identity (i.e. login credentials).
Employees usually use the suite to store confidential data which will, in a short period of time, be exposed if an attacker gains a handle on the employee’s email account. Email identity theft can have much bigger consequences than it did a few years ago.
Phishing Attacks
Phishing is one of the fastest-growing attack vectors. For hackers, it is a tried and tested method that has been successfully working for more than a decade. In fact, it has been more than two decades since the first reported phishing attack in 1995.
As the internet grew, so did the number of users having a minimum of two email accounts. Hackers now have a far wider reach than ever before. According to a recent report by Tripwire, 9,576 phishing incidents were recorded in 2015, with 916 of them reporting a data breach.
Similarly, 58% of organizations worldwide experienced account takeovers in 2023, with 79% of these incidents originating from credentials harvested through phishing tactics.
Phishing as a tactic employs several different techniques. Each type of attack has its target audience and purpose.
In an attack called Pharming, the hacker changes the IP address associated with the website. This redirects the user to the malicious website despite entering the correct domain name in the URL.
Deceptive phishing scams the user by posing as a legitimate website and scares them into paying money. Spear phishing uses the same technique as deceptive phishing, except that this attack makes the user hand over their personal data. According to a report by Symantec, spear-phishing campaigns targeting employees increased 55% in 2015. You can read their complete report.
Virus
Attacking with a virus through email is another form using email as a vector. Creating a virus and implementing it requires a meticulous amount of planning, an activity more likely to be conceived and executed by a group rather than an individual.
A targeted virus can have one specific or multiple purposes. Regardless of that, email itself is rarely a target, merely the first stage of the attack. If the attack is successful, the virus could quickly spread across the network in a short time and can even have the ability to shut down the complete network.
Even the simplest virus will attempt to lure the end user into downloading an attachment. Masquerading as documents, they are in fact files which if executed could either take control over the host or even lead to the consequence mentioned above.
In a 2015 report, Kaspersky Lab’s web antivirus detected 121,262,075 unique malicious objects, such as scripts, exploits, executable files, etc. Similarly, in 2023, the antivirus software detected 112,922,612 unique malicious objects (scripts, exploits, executable files, and so on).
Spam
Spam is the most commonly known form of email attack. Perhaps the reason is that we all have a “spam” folder within our email accounts where we receive unwanted emails or emails we didn’t subscribe to.
This is likely why even people from non-IT backgrounds know what a spam email is, although they are usually thought of as merely harmless emails which they can directly delete without even bothering to open it.
It is true to some extent that some of those emails really are harmless from the end user’s perspective. Spam emails have seen a rise in the last couple of years because of the growth of social media and e-commerce websites. Companies, for example, usually broadcast their “latest news” or announcements over email to large numbers of people who are a part of an opt-in list.
However, with the right kind of planned attack, spamming could prove to be fatal for companies if not the users. If a hacker is somehow able to gain control of an organization’s email, they can send unsolicited emails to even larger numbers of people.
Worse, since the emails are going out from legitimate email addresses, hackers could take advantage of the situation and send emails with a phishing attack or by attaching a virus within an email, hence infecting a large number of users simultaneously.
On the other end, a company could also face some serious consequences, such as being questioned by the governing authorities for spam emails. They risk having their internet connection shut down by their internet service providers, which can bring the company’s operations to a complete halt.
Other Types of Email Cyber Attacks
Beyond the standard phishing or virus attacks, there are several sophisticated email attack methods that businesses need to be aware of:
- Vishing – Voice phishing, or vishing, tricks individuals over the phone to share sensitive data. With $39.5 billion lost to phone scams in the U.S. in 2022, vishing remains a serious threat.
- Smishing – SMS-based phishing prompts users to click malicious links sent through text messages.
- Whaling – A type of spear phishing that specifically targets high-profile individuals, such as executives, aiming for sensitive corporate information.
- Spyware – Malware that monitors and collects information from a user’s device.
- Scareware – Scareware bombards users with deceptive warnings about non-existent threats, prompting them to install harmful software.
- Adware – Though less harmful, adware displays unwanted ads that can bog down systems and introduce vulnerabilities.
- Business Email Compromise (BEC) – Uses email impersonation to trick employees into sharing data or funds.
- Malware Attacks – General malicious software that can steal, damage, or manipulate data.
- Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attacks – Intercepts communication to spy on or alter transmitted information.
- Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks – Overwhelms servers with traffic, effectively taking them offline.
- Account Takeover (ATO) Attacks – Unauthorized access that grants attackers control over user accounts, a direct path to critical information.
| 222% Surge in Email Attacks: Is Your Business Protected? Don’t wait until it’s too late—connect with experts for tailored email security solutions. |
Technical Breakdown of Email Threats
Each type of email threat takes advantage of different email protocols, vulnerabilities, or user behaviors. Here’s a quick look at the main attack vectors:
| Email Threat Type | Mechanism | Typical Impact |
| Phishing | Social Engineering | Data theft, financial loss |
| BEC | Social Engineering + Spoofing | Financial diversion |
| Spyware | Malicious Software | Data surveillance |
| Account Takeover | Credential Theft | Identity and data theft |
| Virus | Infected Files | Network shutdowns, data loss |
Each of these attacks can exploit unique vulnerabilities. For instance:
- Phishing emails often bypass defenses by embedding malicious links in images or attachments.
- Malware may be hidden in routine-looking attachments, allowing access to networks when unsuspecting users open them.
- A large number of BEC attacks and phishing scams, for example, use free email services to mask the sender’s true identity.
Understanding how these mechanisms work is critical for structuring defenses against each unique threat. Each email attack type targets either the user’s knowledge gap or system vulnerabilities to succeed.
Importance of Threat Intelligence in Understanding and Mitigating Risks
Real-time threat intelligence helps identify, predict, and manage risks by monitoring trends and gathering data on evolving threats. As email attacks increase in complexity, the intelligence that keeps you ahead of these trends becomes essential.
- Real-time Monitoring: Detects unusual patterns, allowing for immediate action.
- Predictive Analysis: Threat intelligence uses data to foresee and prevent potential threats.
- Enhanced Security Strategy: Threat intelligence gives you a roadmap to respond effectively, decreasing attack success rates.
Using threat intelligence as part of your email security strategy can reduce breach costs. IBM reports that organizations with zero-trust policies in place experience breach costs 2.2% lower on average.
How to Prevent Email Attacks
No organization is entirely immune to email threats, but taking preemptive steps can make a substantial difference. Here are actionable strategies for better email security:
- User Education: An estimated 53% of employees globally were unaware of vishing risks as recently as 2020. This is why it’s crucial to equip your team with the skills to recognize phishing and other common threats. Most breaches involve human error, so training reduces vulnerability.
- Software Solutions: Implement antivirus and anti-phishing software to strengthen defenses. Companies using automation tools for email security reported up to 2.2% lower breach costs on average.
- Email Security Protocols: Employ DMARC, SPF, and DKIM to prevent email spoofing. These protocols help verify sender identities and reduce the risk of fraudulent emails reaching inboxes.
- Authentication Practices: Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an extra security layer, making it harder for attackers to access accounts even with stolen credentials.
How often does your organization train employees on email security?
Does your organization use multi-factor authentication (MFA)?
Are anti-phishing and anti-virus protections in place?
Risk Level:
Safety Practices to Avoid Email Attacks
Proactive safety practices can keep your email environment more secure. Here are tips to reduce your organization’s exposure to email threats:
| Safety Practice | Benefit |
| Avoid clicking unknown links | Reduces exposure to phishing sites |
| Strong, unique passwords | Harder for attackers to crack or guess |
| Frequent security training sessions | Keeps teams aware of the latest tactics |
| Multi-layered security approach | Comprehensive protection against attacks |
These practices, combined with vigilance, create a strong foundation for minimizing risks. Remember, cybercriminals are constantly innovating; staying proactive is your best defense.
3 High-Profile Email Attacks and Lessons Learned
Learning from past attacks helps prevent future ones. Here are three high-profile email attacks that underline critical security lessons:
- Microsoft Email Breach: In 2023, vulnerabilities in Microsoft cloud email led to 60,000 emails being compromised. The lesson? Even trusted platforms need additional security layers.
- BEC Attack on Ubiquiti Networks: The networking equipment provider lost $47 million in a BEC scam. This highlighted the dangers of lax authentication practices.
- Colonial Pipeline Phishing Attack: A single compromised email led to the largest fuel pipeline shutdown in the U.S. It demonstrated the importance of robust phishing defenses and employee training.
Case Studies of Major Email Security Breaches
Case studies offer more than lessons—they serve as reminders of what can happen without effective security measures in place.
- Targeted Phishing Campaign in Retail: In 2023, a fashion retailer JD Sports faced a phishing attack resulting in 10 million customers' data leakage. Its SEG failed to detect the threat, leading to reputation damage and financial loss.
Solution: Implement stronger email filtering and train employees. - Healthcare Sector Ransomware Attack: A 3% rise in healthcare cyberattacks in 2023 highlights the vulnerabilities in this critical sector.
Solution: Prioritize patient data encryption and establish secure email protocols.
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Build a Secure Future with Expert Email Security Solutions
Today, email attacks are more than a nuisance—they’re a costly threat that grows more sophisticated each year. From phishing and spyware to business email compromise, attackers use a mix of techniques to exploit human errors and technical weaknesses. Proactive protection starts with understanding these threats and taking action to fortify your email defenses.
Contact CloudSecureTech today and we’ll connect you with email security experts who will give you tailored solutions to secure your business’s communications.
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