---
title: "Phishing Attacks are no Longer Just Malicious Links in Emails | Phish Protection"
description: "Phishing Attacks are no Longer Just Malicious Links in Emails: Combating phishing attacks used to be just a matter of not clicking on malicious links in an."
image: "https://phishprotection.com/og/blog/phishing-attacks-are-no-longer-just-malicious-links-in-emails.png"
canonical: "https://phishprotection.com/blog/phishing-attacks-are-no-longer-just-malicious-links-in-emails/"
---

Quick Answer

Combating \*\*phishing attacks\*\* used to be just a matter of not clicking on malicious links in an email. If you could spot the suspect link in an email, and didn't click it, you were pretty much guaranteed to be safe. Not anymore. Oh sure, \_hackers still want you to click on a malicious link, but their techniques for disguising them is nothing short of remarkable\_.

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![Phish Protection blog post image](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2020/09/how-to-prevent-phishing-6810.jpg) 

Combating **phishing attacks** used to be just a matter of not clicking on malicious links in an email. If you could spot the suspect link in an email, and didn’t click it, you were pretty much guaranteed to be safe. Not anymore. Oh sure, _hackers still want you to click on a malicious link, but their techniques for disguising them is nothing short of remarkable_.

According to an analysis done by [Security Boulevard](https://securityboulevard.com/2020/08/phishing-attack-payloads-leaving-employees-vulnerable-as-remote-work-trends-continue-to-evolve/), in addition to the “traditional” credential stealing phishing attacks, there are four other categories of **phishing attacks** which leave people vulnerable. The first of these is what they call **_rogue software, rogue apps & browser extensions_**.

According to the article, “_These types of attacks typically trick users in downloading malicious software_, apps, and extensions. In some cases, these attacks lure victims into installing a malicious video player or a **rogue browser extension** to gain permission to install socially engineered malware on their system.”

The second type of phishing attack is **_scareware & fake virus alerts_**. “These scams typically use scare tactics to trick victims into believing their computer has crashed or a virus has been detected. _Trying to lure victims into calling a fake technical support hotline_ or prompting the user into an action that will ultimately infect their device where credit card data can be captured, credentials stolen, or a device compromised.”

The third category is **_social engineering, money transfer scams, and Bitcoin scams_**. “Social engineering is commonly used in money transfer scams to obtain credit card or debit card information to get goods, funds from an account, or credential theft. Another trend in **social engineering** is Bitcoin scams. _Cybercriminals prefer stealing cryptocurrency because it can be used without evidence of where it was obtained_.”

Finally, the last category is **_multi-stage phishing attacks_**. “_It starts with a link sent in an email that is not malicious but leads to what appears to be a benign site_. Once that website is opened, the user performs a task, and a local HTML file is downloaded to their computer. When the user clicks on that file from their desktop, a local HTML page is launched with a link to continue, which sends them to the final domain where the **phishing content** is delivered.”

![How to prevent phishing](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2020/09/how-to-prevent-phishing-6810.jpg) 

Four new **phishing tactics** with one objective: _disguise the malicious link they want you to click_. Nobody is properly prepared to recognize all these tactics (and new ones surely to appear). The only thing that can protect you is a defense mechanism that doesn’t get distracted and doesn’t get fooled. What is such a defense mechanism? PhishProtection with [Advanced Threat Defense](/products/advanced-threat-defense/).

[Phishing Protection](/) works because it never gets distracted and it never gets fooled. It only looks at links and where they point to. So, _if even one link in a series of emails is malicious, Phish Protection will detect it and protect you_.

Phish Protection works with all major email services,\_ sets up in 10 minutes and only costs pennies per user per month\_. Try Phish Protection **free for 60 days** and stop worrying about phishing emails.

## Topics

[ Phishing ](/tags/phishing/) 

![Brad Slavin](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/authors/brad-slavin.jpg) 

[ Brad Slavin ](/authors/brad-slavin/) 

General Manager

Founder and General Manager of DuoCircle. Product strategy and commercial lead across DuoCircle's 2,000+ customer base.

[LinkedIn Profile →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradslavin) 

## Protect your inbox from phishing attacks

Real-time email security with 60-day free trial. No credit card required.

[Start Free Trial](https://portal.duocircle.com/cart.php?a=add&pid=101&brand=phishprotection) [View Pricing](/pricing/) 

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