What Is Email Spoofing?
Email spoofing is a cyberattack where a malicious actor forges the sender’s email address to make it appear as though the message came from a trusted source. These emails are often crafted to trick the recipient into believing they’re communicating with someone they know—like a coworker, a financial institution, or even a government agency.
Spoofed emails are commonly used in phishing attacks. Their goal? To trick you into clicking malicious links, downloading malware, or sharing sensitive information like login credentials or banking details.
Why Email Spoofing Is So Effective
Spoofing works because it manipulates trust. When a message appears to come from a legitimate sender, you’re more likely to open it, respond, or act on its instructions. This makes email spoofing a powerful tool for cybercriminals and a critical risk for individuals and organizations alike.
Example:
A common spoofing scenario involves an attacker sending an email that looks like it’s from PayPal, warning the recipient that their account has been restricted. The message includes a link to “verify” account details—often leading to a fake login page designed to steal credentials.
Real-World Examples of Email Spoofing
- March 2021: A large-scale spoofing campaign targeted C-suite executives. Attackers crafted highly convincing spear-phishing emails that bypassed both Office 365’s built-in defenses and other security tools.
- October 2021: Hackers spoofed official email domains of the Philippine government to send fake COVID-19 alerts. The emails were aimed at companies in the shipping, manufacturing, and energy sectors.
A Brief History of Email Spoofing
Email spoofing has existed since the 1970s, originally used by spammers to bypass early email filters. In the 1990s and 2000s, it evolved into a serious cybersecurity threat. By 2014, security protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC were introduced to help detect and block spoofed emails. Thanks to these tools, many spoofed messages today are either marked as spam or blocked entirely—but the threat still persists, especially when these protocols aren’t properly implemented.
How Email Spoofing Works
Email spoofing exploits a flaw in the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), the standard for sending emails. SMTP doesn’t verify the sender’s identity, which allows attackers to fake the “From” address in outgoing messages.
Even if you’re using legitimate email platforms like Gmail or Outlook, someone can still spoof your domain if the proper protections aren’t in place. When the message lands in the recipient’s inbox, what they see in the “From” field may look trustworthy—even though it’s been falsified.
Common Types of Email Spoofing
Cybercriminals use several techniques to spoof emails, each varying in complexity and effectiveness:
- Display Name Spoofing
The attacker creates an email address that matches the display name of someone you know—like a manager or colleague. Since the actual email address may be different (but often goes unnoticed), it bypasses spam filters and security checks.
- Legitimate Domain Spoofing
In this method, attackers use a legitimate domain—like noreply@naukri.com—in the “From” field. They don’t need access to that domain’s server; instead, they exploit flaws in how email protocols are configured. Often, they use public cloud infrastructure or third-party services that don’t verify domain ownership.
- Lookalike Domain Spoofing
This involves creating a fake domain that closely resembles a real one—like @doma1n.co instead of @domain.co. These small changes can be easy to overlook, especially if the recipient doesn’t inspect the full email address.
How to Prevent Email Spoofing
Organizations and individuals can reduce the risk of email spoofing by adopting a layered security approach:
- Set up an email security gateway
- Use anti-malware and antivirus software
- Conduct regular cybersecurity awareness training
- Encrypt emails to protect sensitive content
- Avoid clicking on unfamiliar links or attachments
- Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to authenticate your domain
- Use reverse IP lookups to verify the source of suspicious emails
- Check your Domain Score It shows the current risk your domain presents.
Spoofing vs. Phishing: What’s the Difference?
Though often used together, spoofing and phishing are not the same:
- Spoofing involves impersonating someone by faking their email address or identity.
- Phishing is a type of attack (often delivered via spoofed emails) where the goal is to trick someone into giving up sensitive information.
Final Thoughts
Email spoofing continues to be a serious and evolving threat in the cybersecurity landscape. While modern protocols and defences have made progress in blocking these attacks, awareness and proactive security practices remain your best defence.
Interested in adopting DMARC at your organization? Take a look at how easy it is to get DMARC Compliant.