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Can you imagine your life without email? Whether for personal or professional reasons, that’s next to impossible in this digital world. Email has become the primary tool of communication, but at the same time, it is one of the most exploited vectors for cyberattacks.
One of the most popular cyber threats through email is PDF phishing scams. It is quite difficult for the recipient to identify these PDF files, which appear to be very genuine and trustworthy.
In this blog, we have come up with more details on what PDF email scams are, how they work, and what steps you or your enterprise can take to protect yourself from such scams.
What Are PDF Phishing Scams?
A phishing attack, where the attacker uses a malicious PDF, is usually referred to as a PDF phishing scam. To put it simply, you will receive a spam email with a PDF attachment. The main aim of the attacker is to trick you into clicking the PDF, which may result in downloading malware or giving access to sensitive information to the attacker.
PDF phishing scams are often considered to be very dangerous and effective because users fail to identify whether the PDF file is a genuine one or spam.
Why Use PDF Files as A Bait?
In most phishing attacks, the attackers favor using PDF files in the process. Why so? In professional communications, an attachment or a PDF file is quite common, and an average user doesn’t give a second thought while opening it. Most importantly, these PDF phishing scams are often successful in being imperceptible to email security tools.
Moreover, the recipient can easily open the PDF on every type of device, and this can be a big benefit to cybercriminals. For all these reasons, PDF phishing attacks are on the rise and are one of the favorite cybercrimes among attackers.
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How PDF Phishing Scams Work
Now, let’s have a look at how PDF email scams work:
Building the Trust
You receive an email that appears to be from a very reputable or trusted source. It may appear to be from a bank, an e-commerce site, or even from your boss. The PDF attachment may look something like this: invoice_1204.pdf or Payslip.pdf.
Also, the subject line of the email aims to create a sense of urgency or fear, like ‘Take Action Now to Avoid Suspension’.
The PDF
As soon as you open the PDF, you may find a message with a link ‘click here’. Once you click on this, it will take you to the malicious website. Also, the PDF can lead you to a fake login page, and once you put in your credentials, the attacker will get access to your account. Some PDFs contain prompts to download and enable macros for the execution of malware.
The Trap
Once you click on the link or enter your login credentials, it sends all your sensitive information to the attacker. Now, they can steal all your data, transfer your funds, or spy on all your activity.
Why are PDF Phishing Scams on The Rise?
Most email security systems easily allow PDFs to pass through, and this is one of the main reasons PDF email scams are on the rise. Also, remote work has become quite common nowadays, so often PDFs are used for the exchange of sensitive information. This has created a new opportunity for the scammers.
Social engineering tactics are quite refined, so the attackers can easily make the PDF look legitimate with logos and formatting that look very genuine.
Who do The PDF Phishing Scammers Target?
The main target of these scammers is small businesses, as they usually have a weak security system. Also, they sometimes put their focus on individuals to trick them into giving bank credentials. And when it comes to enterprises, the main targets are finance, healthcare, and legal service providers.
Identifying Email Scams with PDF
- Have a close look at the sender’s email. If you find any kind of mismatch with the domain of the organization it claims to be from, it can be spam.
- The PDF may be well-formatted, but if you find any kind of grammatical errors, typos, or spelling errors, it may be a phishing email.
- As you open the PDF, don’t just click on the links. Try to check where it leads, and if you find it to be a suspicious website, it is a major red flag.
- Is the PDF requesting you to download any software or enable macros? That’s a big No-No. Please refrain from such emails.
How to Protect Yourself and Your Organization
Not to worry much, you can protect yourself and your organization from PDF phishing scams by following the steps mentioned below:
- Advanced email security solutions are a must, and this will ensure that the detection is done in the right way, and no PDFs are passed through.
- Cybersecurity training for employees can go a long way in combating such cyber threats.
- You should never even think of giving a pass to two-factor authorization.
- Do your PDF readers have some unnecessary features? If yes, turn them off right away.
- Enable a sandboxing environment to detect any kind of suspicious behavior before it causes any harm.
Final Words
Now that you are well aware of how PDF phishing scams work, it is time to take some action. It can cause a huge loss for your organization, and it is high time to focus on cybersecurity training for your employees. As your employees gain the right knowledge and awareness on how to protect themselves and their organization from such scams, half the battle is already won!
Delay no more, choose the right cybersecurity training program, and stay safe and secure!
