INKY Stops Zero-Day Phishing Attacks

INKY’s unique computer vision technology stops zero-day attacks before they happen.

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What is a Zero-Day Attack?

A zero-day attack is an advanced offense that essentially is a ‘new’ not yet reported email scam. Many anti-phishing software products rely on a database of signatures to stop phishing. This renders them defenseless against a phishing attack until a signature is developed and deployed. INKY is different. Each month, 1.5 million new phishing sites are created. This means that standard phishing protections like URL blacklists, are of limited utility since the number of URLs to be checked grows so rapidly. The length of time that it takes for a signature to be released for a piece of malware depends on its complexity but typically takes 24-48 hours. Since the first victim of a phishing attack falls for it within 82 seconds, this is far too long to protect the first victims of a new phishing attack. INKY provides protection against zero-day attacks while waiting for signature-based systems to catch up.

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How Does INKY Identify Zero-Day Phishing Attacks?

Microsoft Office Macros

Macros are a feature of Microsoft Office that allows users to automate repetitive tasks. However, Office Macros are extremely powerful and, if allowed to execute, can install malware on a computer. Phishers will create malicious Office documents and attach them to a phishing email that convinces readers to open them and allow macros to run.

Malicious Links

Embedding links within emails is a convenient way for the sender to direct readers to their website to perform an action or receive more information. Phishers create malicious websites that infect visitors’ computers with malware and write phishing emails that convince readers to click on a link to the malicious site.

Infected PDFs

Adobe’s Acrobat Reader is notorious for being prone to vulnerabilities that can be exploited to run code on a computer. Phishers take advantage of this by creating PDFs designed to install malware and attaching these PDFs to phishing emails. The emails will be crafted to convince readers to open the PDF, infecting their computer.

Embedded Code

HTML emails allow more individuality in emails by including scripts and style information that enable animations and other functionality. Phishers will include malicious scripts in phishing emails that take advantage of the opportunity to run code on the reader’s computer to install malware.

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INKY learns patterns with behavior profiling.

INKY’s true machine learning develops behavior profiles and social graphs that identify suspicious behavior or identities. When INKY sees an email from a sender that doesn’t match a known profile, it sends an impersonation warning.

INKY works with any email client

Whether you’re an Outlook traditionalist, or experimenting with the latest mobile email solutions, INKY integrates into almost any email solution. With a single click, your users can react to the warning banner right in the body of the email. This unique ease of use banner is one of our clients’ favorite features.

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Report phishing attempts from any device

A unique feature is the ability to click a “Report this Email” link in every email, which means users can report spam, phish, and other problematic email from any device – web, phone, any email client, with no special software. Most email protection software only has the capability to work from an installed instance.

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