1. What is phishing email?
Phishing Email (Fake Email) is a form of email attack in which hackers often forge a reputable business to carry out fraudulent schemes in user emails. Get them to trust and provide personal account information, or click on links that contain malicious code, to gain access to the corporate network.
These hackers will likely create email content that closely resembles the email interface of bankers to deceive users into making them believe that it actually emails from the banks they are trading. , users will easily share important information such as system login passwords, transaction passwords, credit cards, and other confidential information.
The key distinction between phishing emails and ordinary spam mail lies in intent. Spam consists of unsolicited promotional messages, while phishing emails are deliberately engineered to steal information or infiltrate systems. Phishing emails exploit social engineering techniques to manipulate human psychology rather than exploiting technical vulnerabilities.
Learn more: What is phishing?
2. Why are phishing emails particularly dangerous for businesses?
Phishing emails are especially damaging to businesses because email is the primary channel for processing contracts, approving payments, and exchanging confidential information with partners. Any impersonation in this channel can have immediate financial consequences.
Common damages businesses face when targeted by phishing emails include:
- Customer data leaks and exposure of confidential business information, resulting in violations of the Personal Data Protection Law
- Direct financial losses through fraudulent wire transfers or payments to fictitious suppliers
- Ransomware infections across the entire system, paralyzing business operations for days
- Brand reputation damage and loss of customer trust when sensitive information is exposed
- Substantial costs associated with incident response, forensic investigation, and system recovery
More concerning is the growing trend of AI-assisted phishing campaigns that generate highly personalized email content, free of spelling errors and precisely tailored to each recipient's actual work context. Traditional email filters struggle to detect messages crafted with the help of AI.
3. How does a phishing email attack unfold?
Understanding the phishing attack process helps businesses build defenses at the right layers and at the right time. A typical phishing campaign unfolds across four stages:
Step 1: Gathering intelligence on the target
Before sending any email, attackers collect information about the target organization and individuals through social media, corporate websites, and other publicly available sources. This data is used to personalize email content, increasing credibility and the likelihood of success. This preparation is what differentiates mass phishing campaigns from spear phishing attacks that focus on specific individuals.
Step 2: Identity spoofing and infrastructure setup
Attackers register look-alike domains that closely resemble legitimate ones (for example, vnetw0rk.com instead of vnetwork.vn) and set up fraudulent websites. Email spoofing techniques are then used to display a familiar partner or executive name in the sender field, while the actual email address is entirely different.
Step 3: Sending the phishing email and prompting action
Emails are composed to create a sense of urgency or exploit fear and greed. They typically contain links directing recipients to fake login pages, attachments carrying malware, or direct requests for sensitive information. The entire email interface is designed to perfectly replicate legitimate communications from the impersonated organization.
Step 4: Harvesting credentials or installing malicious code
When a victim enters credentials on a fake page, the data is immediately sent to the attacker's server. If a victim opens a malicious attachment, trojans or spyware are installed on their device, creating backdoors that allow attackers to maintain persistent access over extended periods without the victim's knowledge.
4. Warning signs of a phishing email
Detecting phishing emails early is the most cost-effective defense available. Here are 8 indicators to check whenever an email requests any form of action:
- Suspicious sender email address: the display name may appear legitimate, but the actual domain contains unusual characters, spelling errors, or is entirely unfamiliar.
- Subject lines that manufacture urgency: phrases like "account locked," "act now," or "confirm within 24 hours" are designed to pressure recipients into reacting without careful verification.
- Generic greetings: legitimate organizations always address recipients by name; greetings such as "Dear Customer" or "Dear User" are red flags.
- Links pointing to unfamiliar domains: hover over any link (without clicking) to preview the destination URL in the browser status bar. If the URL does not match the organization, the email is fraudulent.
- Unexpected attachments: exercise particular caution with .exe, .zip, .docm, .xlsm, or PDF files received from unknown senders.
- Requests for sensitive information via email: banks, tax authorities, and reputable institutions never ask for passwords, OTP codes, or card details through email.
- Unusual spelling or grammar errors: although AI is improving phishing email quality, many still contain translation errors or awkward phrasing.
- Inconsistent email design: distorted logos, off-brand colors, or mixed fonts are hallmarks of hastily assembled fraudulent emails.
If any of these signs are present, do not click any links or open any attachments. Contact the organization directly through official channels to verify. See also: how to recognize a fraudulent email for additional detection tools.
5. Common types of phishing emails
These are the Phishing Email attacks that hackers often use because they achieve unexpectedly high success results.
5.1 Phishing Email spoofing Business Email message overload data
This is the most common form of spoofed email in enterprise email systems. Hackers often use a simple but very easy way to deceive this user. After clicking on the link Email Upgrade Quota (upgrade email capacity) is the pre-installed malicious code waiting to enter the corporate email system.
Phishing emails improve business email storage
5.2 Phishing Email forged order
Business Email offers products and services that regularly receive orders. This is completely normal for them. Therefore, Phishing Emails like these are easily opened by users without hesitation.
If you use enterprise domain email without a solid email security system, it will be easy for hackers like this.
Phishing Email forged orders placed into business email accounts
5.3 Phishing Email spoofing state agencies
Hackers are trying to compose fake emails that look similar to emails sent from state organizations. The email content is often alert as: “You have downloaded illegal files, your Internet access will be revoked. To appeal, please fill in the required information in the form below ”.
5.4 Phishing Email faking old acquaintances
If you receive an email from a strange account, they say they are an old classmate or classmate you haven’t seen in a long time. The content of the email is about a situation that is very difficult and needs your financial assistance. At the same time pledging to return this loan soon as soon as possible.
If you have compassion for people, that is very good. But beware of phishing emails like these. To make sure you want to help the right people and the right jobs, find ways to contact the people directly involved in this relationship.
5.5 Phishing Email forged online payment
If you receive an email notifying you that your online payment account is having trouble because your credit card has expired (or your billing address is incorrect, …). Next, the email content also asks you: “To fix this problem, please open the link and update the information as required.” Inside the link will be a website quite similar to the login page of account information that you have done a few times before, which makes you more confident and easy to fall into the trap of hackers.
5.6 Phishing Email forging overdue notification of payment
You are using a business domain email and someday you will receive email notifications about an overdue service. Email content also requires you to log into the system as quickly as possible to store important data. There is also a link in the email to help you get to the login page as quickly as possible. However, behind that link is always a fake website to steal your login information.
5.7 Phishing Email forging a notification of a compromised account
A type of Phishing Email that fools users into sending emails notifying them that their account is being compromised by a stranger. This will make them extremely confused and try to find every way as quickly as possible to prevent losing accounts. Hackers have deceived the psychology of the victim and should have prepared a link to verify ownership. And then, the victim got hooked by the hacker easily.
5.8 Phishing Email forged notification of winning
Don’t get too excited when you receive an email notifying you that you have won something, because this is a completely fake email to stimulate your greed and be off-guard. You will easily click on the link to the login website and fill in the required information to receive the prize as soon as possible.
5.9 Phishing Email forging a notice of withdrawal
You often get notifications of account balance fluctuations when you really know about this transaction in advance. However, if you suddenly receive an email notifying you of a large balance change in your account, it is a disaster. You will try to find a way to prevent this illegal withdrawal. And inside the email, you will see a link for verification or non-verification of this transaction behavior. The form also requires you to fill in the information necessary to verify ownership of the account. And so you have been trapped by hackers.
To prevent phishing email attacks like this, it is better to direct the phone to the customer service center of the bank you are using instead of clicking on the link and being scammed.
5.10 Phishing Emails are victims
Hackers will pretend to be a victim because they have ordered services from you, but they do not receive any products or any feedback from you. The email also warns that they will report to the local authorities if you do not have an explanation for them.
There is also a link in the email for you to easily provide feedback to that “victim customer”. It then leads to a website that requires login verification of email and login password. And finally, your email account was stolen this way.
5.11 Phishing Email falsifying Tax Department
Phishing emails of this type are often found in the financial and accounting departments of businesses. As they often face tax problems, notices from the Tax Department. You will easily be deceived when required to fill out the form according to the content requested from the tax authorities. Your login information will be easily stolen through these forms.
5.12 Phishing Email fake checkup
You are using a business domain email. Therefore, security in email is always the first task that businesses are most concerned about. You even need to take regular vigilance courses with Phishing Emails to ensure maximum security for corporate email systems as well as important corporate networks. However, one day, you will receive an email notifying you that an enterprise email system is conducting a checkup of the system, and to verify ownership of the email you are being allocated, please fill in. On-demand form for verification. If you follow the instructions in this email, you have just lost all your email account login information.
6. How to effectively prevent phishing emails
The best approach to stopping phishing emails is to combine technical controls with human awareness training. No single solution is sufficient on its own; both elements must work in parallel.
6.1 Measures for individuals
- Always verify the full sender email address, not just the display name, before acting on any request.
- Avoid clicking links in emails; instead, navigate directly to the official website by typing the address into your browser.
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on all important accounts to maintain protection even if a password is compromised.
- Report suspicious emails to the IT team immediately rather than handling them independently or ignoring them.
- Never share login credentials, OTP codes, or account information via email, regardless of how familiar the sender appears.
6.2 Technical measures for businesses
Organizations need to deploy multiple technical protection layers to reduce phishing risk:
- Configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to authenticate outbound email identity and block domain spoofing.
- Deploy an email security gateway capable of sandbox analysis of attachments and URLs before emails reach user inboxes.
- Conduct regular security awareness training and run phishing simulations to measure and improve employee vigilance.
- Establish supplementary verification processes for high-value financial transactions rather than relying solely on email instructions.
- Apply Zero Trust principles: never automatically trust any email or request, even those originating from internal sources.
7. What to do when targeted by a phishing email
When you discover or suspect that you have fallen victim to a phishing attack, the speed of your response determines the extent of the damage. Follow these steps in order of priority:
- Stop all interaction: immediately close any fraudulent pages, refrain from entering additional information, and do not open further attachments.
- Isolate the device: if the device is suspected to be infected with a rootkit or malware, disconnect from the network immediately to prevent the spread of malicious code.
- Notify the IT team without delay: preserve the original email (do not delete it) so the technical team can analyze it and assess the scope of impact.
- Change passwords for all affected accounts: prioritize work email, internal systems, banking accounts, and any services that may share the same password.
- Assess the damage and notify relevant parties: if customer data has been compromised, organizations are obligated to report this in accordance with the Data Law 2024.
- Report to the relevant authorities: in cases involving financial losses, contact the bank to freeze transactions and file a report with the appropriate cybersecurity authority.
8. EG-Platform: comprehensive email security for businesses
EG-Platform is VNETWORK's email security platform, powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide complete two-way email protection. EG-Platform meets the ITU email security standards-T X.1236 set by the International Telecommunication Union, enabling organizations to simultaneously protect their infrastructure and meet international compliance requirements.
EG-Platform operates across three specialized protection layers:
- SpamGUARD: applies machine learning and Bayesian filtering to score the risk level of each email, verifying SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication standards to detect domain spoofing and proactively block phishing emails, spam, and malware-laden messages.
- ReceiveGUARD: protects inbound email by analyzing content, attachments, and URLs within a virtualized sandbox environment. When a risk is detected, suspicious links are neutralized before the email reaches the end user.
- SendGUARD: controls outbound email to prevent compromised internal accounts from being used to distribute phishing messages or cause a data breach. Applies filtering based on IP address, country, and sensitive content to minimize the risk of widespread impact.
Unlike solutions that only protect inbound email, EG-Platform governs the full email lifecycle, securing both internal communications and exchanges with external partners. This is a critical advantage in the current environment where Business Email Compromise and email-based supply chain attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated.
9. Conclusion
Phishing emails exploit human vulnerabilities rather than technical flaws, and this is precisely what makes them more dangerous than almost any other form of cyberattack. From mass phishing campaigns to AI-assisted spear phishing, cybercriminals continuously evolve their tactics to bypass user awareness and conventional filters. Combining regular security awareness training for employees with a professional email security solution such as EG-Platform represents the most comprehensive and effective defense strategy available today.
Contact VNETWORK to receive tailored advice on deploying EG-Platform at the right scale and security level for your organization.
FAQ - Frequently asked questions about phishing emails
1. What is the difference between a phishing email and a spam email?
Spam emails are unsolicited promotional messages that are generally harmless and merely annoying. Phishing emails have a clear objective: to steal information, hijack accounts, or install malicious code on systems. Phishing emails are carefully crafted to impersonate trusted organizations and exploit victim psychology, whereas spam is simply bulk promotional content.
2. What channels are used in phishing attacks?
Phishing attacks occur primarily via email, but also appear across other channels including SMS (smishing), phone calls (vishing), social media, and messaging applications. Email remains the most common vector because its professional nature makes impersonation easier and email open rates in work environments tend to be high.
3. What is the most effective way to prevent phishing emails?
The most effective approach is to combine three layers of defense: conducting regular security awareness training for all staff, deploying an AI-powered email security gateway with sandbox analysis, and implementing three-layer email authentication including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. No single measure is sufficient on its own; organizations must apply all three layers simultaneously to minimize risk.
4. What is the quickest way to identify a fraudulent email?
To identify a phishing email quickly, immediately check three things: whether the full sender email address is valid, where the links in the email actually lead when you hover over them without clicking, and whether the email creates an unusual sense of urgency. If any of these points raise concern, contact the sender directly through a separate channel to verify before taking any action.
5. Are small businesses also targeted by phishing emails?
Small and medium-sized enterprises can be even more attractive targets for cybercriminals precisely because they typically have fewer security resources. Attackers understand that smaller organizations are less likely to have deployed comprehensive technical protections or provided in-depth staff security training. Phishing emails targeting SMEs commonly impersonate suppliers, logistics providers, or tax authorities to request payments or account confirmation.