How can normal people identify phishing emails when services rewrite headers?

Summary

Identifying phishing emails is challenging, especially when services rewrite headers. Manual header inspection is too technical for most users. Look for red flags like spoofed addresses, urgent language, requests for personal information, poor grammar, and design inconsistencies. Verify sender identity through separate channels (phone, direct contact) and be cautious of branding as it can be faked. Avoid clicking suspicious links or opening unknown attachments. Email providers often flag suspicious emails, and users should heed these warnings. Sender authentication failures are not always indicative of phishing and may be due to misconfigurations or forwarding issues. SPF and DMARC help, but are invisible to end-users.

Key findings

  • Header Rewriting Complicates Detection: Services that rewrite headers make it more difficult to identify phishing emails.
  • Manual Inspection Impractical: Inspecting email headers is too technical for the average user.
  • Behavioral and Visual Clues: Phishing emails often exhibit urgent language, poor grammar, design inconsistencies, and spoofed sender information.
  • Verification is Key: Verifying sender identity through alternative channels is crucial for confirmation.
  • Automated Systems Help: Email providers often flag suspicious emails.

Key considerations

  • Technical Skill Gap: Most users lack the technical skills to effectively analyze email headers.
  • Social Engineering Exploitation: Phishers exploit human behavior with tactics like creating a sense of urgency.
  • Trust No Visuals: Logos and branding can be easily faked, so relying on them is risky.
  • Look Beyond Authentication Failures: Authentication failures don't always mean it's phishing, there could be other reasons.
  • Systems Provide Support: Email providers have implemented systems like SPF and DMARC, but they are not always visible or understandable to the end user.

What email marketers say
11Marketer opinions

Identifying phishing emails when services rewrite headers poses a challenge for normal users. While inspecting headers is technically feasible, it's not practical for most. Common tactics include spoofed addresses, urgent language, requests for personal information, poor grammar, generic greetings, and inconsistencies in design. It's crucial to verify sender identity through separate channels, avoid clicking suspicious links or opening unknown attachments, and be wary of emails creating a sense of urgency. Checking the actual email address and hovering over links can also reveal discrepancies.

Key opinions

  • Header Inspection: Inspecting email headers can reveal the true sender but is too technical for most users.
  • Phishing Tactics: Common phishing indicators include spoofed addresses, urgent language, and requests for personal information.
  • Visual Clues: Poor grammar, generic greetings, and design inconsistencies can signal a phishing attempt.
  • Link Verification: Hovering over links reveals the actual URL and can expose suspicious destinations.
  • Attachment Risk: Unknown attachments, especially with unusual extensions, should be avoided.
  • Sender Verification: Verifying sender identity through separate channels (phone, direct message) is crucial.

Key considerations

  • Technical Limitations: Normal users lack the technical skills to effectively inspect email headers.
  • Behavioral Cues: Phishers exploit human psychology through urgency and social engineering.
  • Brand Replication: Logos and branding are not reliable indicators of authenticity as they can be easily replicated.
  • Multi-Factor Verification: Relying on a single piece of information (display name, email content) is insufficient; multiple verification methods are needed.
  • Service Notifications: Even if services provide sender authentication notifications, users may ignore them or not understand their implications.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Troy Hunt's Blog explains that inspecting email headers can reveal the true sender and path of the email, but this is a technical process that most normal users won't be able to do.

September 2021 - Troy Hunt's Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Kaspersky shares that always verify the sender's identity by contacting them through a separate channel, such as a phone call or direct message. Don't rely solely on the email itself to confirm the sender's legitimacy.

May 2024 - Kaspersky
Marketer view

Email marketer from Comparitech explains that look for inconsistencies in the email's design, such as mismatched logos, fonts, or color schemes. Phishing emails often lack the polish of legitimate communications.

January 2022 - Comparitech
Marketer view

Email marketer from Microsoft Support shares that common phishing tactics include spoofed sender addresses, urgent or threatening language, and requests for personal information. Users should be wary of emails that exhibit these characteristics.

August 2024 - Microsoft Support
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks mentions that senders using Mailchimp would have received multiple email and in-app notifications about authentication, even if they may have ignored them.

October 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Digital Guardian shares that be cautious of emails that create a sense of urgency or pressure you to act immediately. Phishers often use this tactic to bypass your critical thinking.

June 2022 - Digital Guardian
Marketer view

Email marketer from Norton shares that fake emails often have poor grammar, spelling errors, and generic greetings. Check the sender's email address for inconsistencies and be wary of emails that ask for personal information.

January 2025 - Norton
Marketer view

Email marketer from MailerCheck Blog shares that before clicking any links in an email, hover over them to see the actual URL. If the URL looks suspicious or doesn't match the sender's domain, it's likely a phishing attempt.

April 2022 - MailerCheck Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Federal Trade Commission responds that to avoid phishing scams, users should avoid clicking on links or opening attachments from unknown senders. Also, independently verify requests for information by contacting the organization directly.

April 2021 - Federal Trade Commission
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit explains that relying solely on the display name of the sender is not reliable, as it can be easily spoofed. Always check the actual email address to verify the sender's identity.

February 2022 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Heimdal Security Blog explains that avoid opening attachments from unknown senders, especially if they have unusual file extensions (like .exe or .zip) or if the email urges you to open them immediately.

November 2023 - Heimdal Security Blog

What the experts say
4Expert opinions

Identifying phishing emails is especially difficult for normal users when services rewrite headers, even for legitimate senders. Sender authentication failures don't automatically indicate phishing; they can stem from misconfiguration or forwarding issues. Furthermore, relying on branding and logos is unreliable as these can be easily replicated by phishers, emphasizing the need for alternative verification methods.

Key opinions

  • Difficulty in Identification: Distinguishing between real and phishing emails is challenging for average users, particularly with header rewriting.
  • Authentication Failures: Sender authentication failures are not always indicative of phishing attempts.
  • Branding Unreliability: Logos and branding are easily replicated and cannot be solely relied upon for verification.

Key considerations

  • Header Rewriting Impact: Header rewriting by services complicates phishing detection, necessitating alternative methods.
  • Sender Configuration: Sender authentication failures can arise from issues beyond phishing, such as configuration problems.
  • Verification Methods: Alternative methods for verifying sender identity are crucial due to the unreliability of branding and authentication signals.
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that Mailchimp had to make the decision to rewrite headers as part of the Yahoo and Google requirements.

April 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that it's difficult for normal people to distinguish between real and phishing emails, especially when services like Mailchimp rewrite headers, even for legitimate senders like local candidates using Gmail.

April 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise responds that sender authentication failures do not necessarily mean that an email is a phishing attempt or spam. It could be due to misconfiguration on the sender's side or issues with email forwarding.

November 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that relying on logos and branding within an email isn't always reliable, as phishers can easily replicate these elements. Always verify the sender's identity through other means.

December 2024 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
4Technical articles

Email providers like Gmail automatically flag suspicious emails, warning users of potential phishing attempts. Phishing attacks often use social engineering tactics to trick users, such as impersonating trusted entities or creating a sense of urgency. Security protocols like DMARC and SPF help prevent spoofing and phishing by authenticating emails, although these mechanisms are largely invisible to end-users but contribute to overall email security.

Key findings

  • Automated Flagging: Gmail automatically flags suspicious emails as potential phishing attempts.
  • Social Engineering: Phishing attacks commonly use social engineering to trick users into revealing sensitive information.
  • DMARC and SPF: DMARC and SPF are email authentication protocols that help prevent spoofing, enhancing email security.

Key considerations

  • Heed Warnings: Users should pay attention to warnings from email providers, even for emails that appear legitimate.
  • Human Element: Phishing exploits human behavior, so caution and awareness are crucial.
  • Invisible Security: While DMARC and SPF improve security, their impact is not directly visible to average email users.
Technical article

Documentation from IETF details that Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is an email authentication method that helps prevent spammers from forging the 'From' address in emails. Although end-users don't directly see it, it makes it harder for phishers to spoof legitimate domains.

January 2025 - IETF
Technical article

Documentation from Google Help explains that Gmail automatically flags suspicious emails as potential phishing attempts. Users should pay attention to these warnings, even if the email appears to be from a legitimate source.

August 2021 - Google Help
Technical article

Documentation from Cloudflare details that Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) is an email authentication protocol that helps prevent email spoofing and phishing. While not directly visible to end-users, it improves email security.

September 2022 - Cloudflare
Technical article

Documentation from APWG details that phishing attacks often involve social engineering techniques to trick users into revealing sensitive information. Attackers may impersonate trusted entities or create a sense of urgency to bypass security measures.

April 2023 - APWG