How Does Clone Phishing Work?
A clone phishing attack is based on the attacker’s ability to duplicate a message that the target has previously received. For example, if a brand sent out a mass email, a clone phisher could duplicate it. Alternatively, someone known to be waiting for a package could be targeted using a fake tracking email.
After selecting an email or other message to copy, the attacker makes an exact duplicate of it. This includes imitating every detail of the wording and images and spoofing the sender’s address to look like that of the original sender.
The only way that a clone phishing email will differ from a legitimate one is in its attachments or links. These will contain malware or point to a malicious site instead of performing their original function.
How to Spot a Clone Phishing Email
Clone phishing emails are more difficult to spot than traditional phishing emails. They look more legitimate and plausible because they started out as a legitimate email. The attacker has just taken an email and tweaked it to achieve their malicious goals.
That said, it’s still possible to identify and block phishing emails. Some of the telltale signs of clone phishing include:
- Deja Vu: A clone phishing email or text is designed to mimic a real message that the user has already received. If a recipient gets two copies of the same email, then it’s possible that one of them is an attempted clone phishing attack.
- Malicious Links/Attachments: To be effective, a clone phishing message needs to induce the target into doing something that the attacker wants. As a result, a clone phishing email will contain attachments or links that contain malware or point to a malicious site rather than the website of the alleged sender.
- Failed DMARC: If a domain has DMARC enabled, then a clone phishing email should fail DMARC authentication. This is because the sender spoofed the sender’s address but doesn’t have the authority to send email from that domain.
Clone Phishing vs. Spear Phishing
Clone phishing and spear phishing are both targeted forms of phishing attacks. However, they use different techniques.
In a clone phishing attack, the attacker imitates a message that the recipient has previously received. This makes it possible to perform mass-mailing phishing campaigns by imitating messages from a popular brand or service provider. The plausibility of the attack depends on the fact that the source content is a real message from a legitimate brand.
In a spear phishing campaign, an attacker crafts a pretext that is highly tailored to a particular individual or small group. The plausibility of this type of phishing attack depends on the belief that something so targeted to an individual and containing personal details must be legitimate.
How to Prevent Clone Phishing
Clone phishing attacks can be very subtle and effective because they copy real messages to use to carry phishing content. Some ways to protect against clone phishing attacks include:
- Employee Education: All phishing attacks — including clone phishing — are designed to trick the target into doing what the attacker wants. Educating employees about the phishing threat and the fact that seemingly legitimate and repeated messages could be malicious helps them to identify and respond to these attacks.
- Email Scanning: Email security solutions can identify clone phishing attacks based on their malicious links and attachments. This enables these solutions to block the phishing content from reaching the target inbox.
- Threat Mitigation: Cybersecurity best practices such as endpoint security and multi-factor authentication (MFA) can help to reduce the impact of a successful clone phishing attack by detecting and blocking the delivered malware or making it more difficult for an attacker to use compromised credentials.
Clone Phishing Protection with Harmony Email Security and Collaboration
Clone phishing is one of several techniques that an attacker can use to deliver malware or steal a user’s credentials. These phishing attacks can also come via various methods, including email, SMS, DMs, and more.
To manage the phishing threat, organizations need a security solution that protects email and other corporate collaboration tools. Check Point’s Harmony Email and Collaboration provides security that has been rated a Leader in Forrester’s 2023 Wave for Enterprise Email Security.
Clone phishing mimics legitimate emails to make it more difficult for employees to identify and properly respond to phishing content. To find out how to protect your organization against highly effective phishing attacks, sign up for a demo of Harmony Email and Collaboration today.
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