---
title: "Sophisticated New Tactic Makes Phishing Emails Harder to Detect | Phish Protection"
description: "You"
image: "https://phishprotection.com/og/blog/sophisticated-new-tactic-makes-phishing-emails-harder-to-detect.png"
canonical: "https://phishprotection.com/blog/sophisticated-new-tactic-makes-phishing-emails-harder-to-detect/"
---

Quick Answer

You've seen reCAPTCHA. It's the image verification software that asks you to click on the cars or the crosswalks to verify you're a human being and not a bot. It's a service now owned by Google.

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You’ve seen reCAPTCHA. It’s the image verification software that asks you to click on the cars or the crosswalks to verify you’re a human being and not a bot. It’s a service now owned by Google.

_Seeing reCAPTCHA software on a website probably gives most people a sense of security._ Afterall, the **website is protecting** itself from malicious activity with the software. And that’s exactly why hackers have started using reCAPTCHA to launch **phishing attacks**. Because it gets you to let your guard down.

According to an [article](https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2020/05/01/recaptcha-walls/) on Help Net Security, “_Cyber scammers are starting to use legitimate reCAPTCHA walls to disguise malicious content from email security systems_. Sophisticated scammers are starting to use the Google-owned service to **prevent automated URL** analysis systems from accessing the actual content of phishing pages.”

This is a serious **phishing threat.** _One of the most effective ways to stop phishing attacks is to first run the email through a URL analysis system to assess whether or not the URL leads to a phishing page_. This reCAPTCHA tactic keeps that from happening.

![Phishing protection software](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2020/05/phishing-protection-software-8476.jpg) 

Only after you solve the reCAPTCHA are you “redirected to the actual phishing page, which spoofs the appearance of a common Microsoft login page.” So, in effect, the reCAPTCHA acts to shield out the [phishing protection software](/).

The article goes on to say “_reCAPTCHA based scams make it harder for automated URL analysis to be conducted_. Fortunately, there are a number of proactive measures employers and business owners can take to **prevent a security breach**. Most importantly, users must be educated about the threat so they know to be cautious instead of assuming a reCAPTCHA is a sign that a page is safe.”

For most phishing attacks, URL analysis software like that available from [Phish Protection](/) is perfectly fine. _It does its job by scanning embedded links in real time to make sure they’re not malicious._ And since Phish Protection sets up in 10 minutes and only costs pennies per employee per month, there’s no reason not to get it. But, when it comes to this new sophisticated reCAPTCHA phishing attack, the best possible **defense is education**. Consider yourself educated.

## 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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