What Is Email Spoofing?
Email spoofing is a technique used in spam and phishing attacks to deceive users into thinking that a message originates from a trusted person or entity they know in the real world.
In spoofing attacks, the sender manipulates email headers to display a fraudulent sender address that recipients often trust without scrutiny.
The Importance of Examining Email Headers
Unless a user closely inspects the email header, which is uncommon, they see the forged sender in the message.
If the name appears familiar, users are likelier to trust the message and may click on malicious links, open malware attachments, or unknowingly disclose sensitive data and corporate funds.
Understanding the Vulnerabilities
Email spoofing exploits the design of email systems.
Outgoing messages receive a sender address assigned by the client application, while outgoing email servers cannot verify if the sender address is legitimate or spoofed.
Although recipient servers and anti-malware software help detect and filter spoofed messages, not all email services implement the same security protocols.
Users can review email headers attached to messages to determine if the sender address is forged.