Phishing analysis fundamentals - what components make up an email?

 Phishing analysis fundamentals revolve around understanding the anatomy of a phishing attack and the methodologies used to dissect and identify malicious emails. It's about moving beyond simply recognizing a suspicious email to understanding why it's malicious and extracting valuable intelligence.

Here's a breakdown of the core concepts:

 The first step is to determine the attacker's objective. Are they trying to steal credentials, deploy malware, extract personal information, or something else entirely? Understanding the goal helps focus the analysis.

• Email Header Analysis: This is a cornerstone of phishing analysis. Examining the email headers can reveal the email's true origin, the path it took, and potential spoofing attempts. Key headers to analyze include:
• Received: Traces the email's journey through mail servers. Multiple "Received" headers can be present, and the order is important (bottom to top indicates the path).
• Return-Path (or Envelope Sender): Indicates where bounces should be sent. Often spoofed.
• From: The sender address displayed to the recipient. Easily forged.
• Reply-To: An alternative address for replies.
• Message-ID: A unique identifier for the email.

Authentication-Results: Provides information about SPF, DKIM, and DMARC checks. Failures here are a strong indicator of spoofing.

• Email Body Analysis: Scrutinizing the content of the email is vital:
• Links (URLs): Hovering over links (without clicking!) reveals the actual destination. Look for discrepancies between the displayed text and the underlying URL. URL analysis tools can provide further insights.
• Attachments: Analyze file extensions and consider sandboxing suspicious attachments to observe their behavior in a safe environment. Be wary of executable files (.exe, .bat, .ps1), documents with macros (.docm, .xlsm), and archive files (.zip, .rar).
• Language and Tone: Phishing emails often contain urgent or threatening language to pressure recipients into acting quickly. Poor grammar and spelling can also be red flags.
• Social Engineering Tactics: Recognize common techniques like impersonation (e.g., pretending to be a bank or service provider), authority bias, and creating a sense of urgency.
• Payload Analysis (if applicable): If the phishing email contains attachments or links leading to downloads, analyzing the payload is crucial. This involves techniques like:
• Static Analysis: Examining the file structure, strings, and metadata without executing it. Tools like file hashing, PEiD, and strings can be used.
• Dynamic Analysis (Sandboxing): Executing the payload in a controlled environment to observe its behavior, network connections, and system changes.
• Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT): Leveraging publicly available information to gather more context. This can involve:

• IP Address and Domain Reputation Checks: Using online tools to see if the sender's IP address or domain has been associated with malicious activity.
• Whois Lookup: Identifying the registration information for a domain.
• Searching for Similar Phishing Campaigns: Checking if the email content, subject line, or links match known phishing attacks.
• Reporting and Documentation: Properly documenting the analysis process, findings, and indicators of compromise (IOCs) is essential for sharing information and improving security defenses.

In essence, phishing analysis is a methodical process of deconstructing an email to uncover its malicious intent and the attacker's techniques. It requires a keen eye for detail, familiarity with email protocols, and the ability to utilize various analysis tools and techniques.