Phishing Analysis Tools

"Phishing Analysis Tools" explores the various software and online services available to help identify, analyze, and understand phishing emails and their associated components. This topic bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and hands-on investigation, empowering users to proactively defend against email-based threats.

Key categories of tools include:

• Email Header Analyzers: These tools are crucial for tracing the origin of an email and identifying potential spoofing. By pasting the email headers into these tools, you can get a clear breakdown of the email's path and authentication results. Useful online tools include MXToolbox Email Header Analyzer (https://mxtoolbox.com/EmailHeaders.aspx) and Google Admin Toolbox Messageheader (https://toolbox.googleapps.com/apps/messageheader/analyzeheader).1
• URL Analysis and Reputation Scanners: Before clicking on any links in a suspicious email, it's vital to check their safety. Online tools like VirusTotal (https://www.virustotal.com/gui/home/url) scan URLs against multiple blacklists and antivirus engines, while URLScan.io (https://urlscan.io/) provides a sandbox environment to observe the website's behavior without direct interaction. Reputation services like AbuseIPDB (https://www.abuseipdb.com/) allow you to check if an IP address associated with a link has a history of malicious activity.
• File Analysis and Sandboxing: If a phishing email contains attachments, these tools help determine if they are malicious. Online sandboxes like Hybrid Analysis (https://www.hybrid-analysis.com/) and Any.Run (https://any.run/) allow you to safely execute suspicious files in a controlled environment to observe their behavior. For static analysis (examining the file without running it), while many tools require installation, online services like VirusTotal also provide some static analysis information.
• OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence) Tools: Gathering more information about the sender, domain, or other indicators can provide valuable context. While many OSINT techniques involve manual searching, online resources like Whois lookup services (e.g., https://www.whois.com/whois/) can reveal domain registration details. Services like Shodan (https://www.shodan.io/) and Censys (https://censys.io/) can help identify infrastructure associated with potential attackers, although these might require some technical understanding.
• Email Client Built-in Features: Don't forget to mention the built-in spam filtering and reporting features of most modern email clients (like Gmail, Outlook, etc.). While not dedicated analysis tools, they play a crucial role in initial detection and reporting.