The era of spotting a phishing email only by terrible grammar and misspelled brand names is largely over. Today, attackers use better writing, compromised accounts, and social engineering to craft emails that look more realistic.
Spear Phishing and Contextual Attacks
Traditional phishing casts a wide net. Spear phishing targets you specifically. Attackers may use job titles, company details, or names from public profiles to make a message feel familiar.
These attacks rely on urgency and authority. If an email demands immediate action, such as resetting a password or authorizing a payment, pause and verify the request outside the email.
Technical Red Flags to Look For
Always inspect the sender's actual email address, not just the display name. Attackers often use lookalike domains or confusing subdomains to make a message look legitimate.
Hover over links before clicking them. Be careful with unsolicited attachments, especially HTML files, ZIP archives, or Office documents that ask you to enable macros.
Zero Trust Inbox Habits
Never click a password reset link unless you requested it. If you receive an account warning, manually type the website address into your browser and check the account directly.