Attack Overview
Step 1: Payroll Update Request Sent via Employee Impersonation
- Email impersonates an employee requesting assistance updating direct deposit banking details
- Message specifically asks HR personnel to provide a Direct Deposit Authorization Form
- Email content uses contextually appropriate and realistic language patterns designed to mimic legitimate employee communications
Step 2: Social Engineering Designed to Initiate Payroll Modification Process
- Email requests confirmation regarding when new deposit details will take effect once submitted
- Attack targets HR departments and payroll workflows responsible for managing employee banking information
- Objective is to convince HR personnel to initiate changes that redirect legitimate employee payments to attacker-controlled accounts
How Does This Attack Bypass Email Defenses?
This email attack bypasses traditional security solutions for several reasons, including:
- Email originates from a domain that passes sender authentication checks
- Email does not include malicious links, attachments, or malware payloads, reducing the effectiveness of signature-based detection systems
- AI-generated content mimics legitimate employee communication patterns and contextual language, increasing credibility
How Did Abnormal Detect This Attack?
This attack was detected using AI and ML by analyzing various factors, including:
- Behavioral AI identifies anomalies such as never-before-seen senders and unusual email communication patterns
- Content analysis detects urgency and financial request language associated with payroll and banking changes
- Natural language processing recognizes social engineering indicators associated with financial-themed attacks
By recognizing established normal behavior and detecting these abnormal indicators, a modern email security solution has the ability to prevent this attack from reaching inboxes.
Please note the exact detection mechanism from Abnormal AI’s system might include proprietary techniques and methodologies not disclosed here.
