--- title: "When is a 404 Error Page not an Error Page? When it’s a Phishing Page! | Phish Protection" description: "When is a 404 Error Page not an Error Page? When it’s a Phishing Page!: If you" image: "https://phishprotection.com/og/blog/when-is-a-404-error-page-not-an-error-page-when-its-a-phishing-page.png" canonical: "https://phishprotection.com/blog/when-is-a-404-error-page-not-an-error-page-when-its-a-phishing-page/" --- Quick Answer If you've been on the Internet, then you've run into a 404 error page. According to\[ Lifewire\](https://www.lifewire.com/404-not-found-error-explained-2622936), "a \_404 error is an HTTP status code that means that the page you were trying to reach on a website couldn't be found on their server.\_ To be clear, the 404 error indicates that while the server itself \_is reachable\_, the specific page showing the error is not." The server's there but the page isn't. Share [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fwhen-is-a-404-error-page-not-an-error-page-when-its-a-phishing-page%2F "Share on LinkedIn") [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=When%20is%20a%20404%20Error%20Page%20not%20an%20Error%20Page%3F%20When%20it%26%238217%3Bs%20a%20Phishing%20Page!&url=https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fwhen-is-a-404-error-page-not-an-error-page-when-its-a-phishing-page%2F "Share on X/Twitter") [ ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fwhen-is-a-404-error-page-not-an-error-page-when-its-a-phishing-page%2F "Share on Facebook") [ ](https://reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fwhen-is-a-404-error-page-not-an-error-page-when-its-a-phishing-page%2F&title=When%20is%20a%20404%20Error%20Page%20not%20an%20Error%20Page%3F%20When%20it%26%238217%3Bs%20a%20Phishing%20Page! "Share on Reddit") [ ](mailto:?subject=When%20is%20a%20404%20Error%20Page%20not%20an%20Error%20Page%3F%20When%20it%26%238217%3Bs%20a%20Phishing%20Page!&body=Check out this article: https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fwhen-is-a-404-error-page-not-an-error-page-when-its-a-phishing-page%2F "Share via Email") ![Phish Protection blog post image](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2019/08/email-phishing-protection-7468.jpg) If you’ve been on the Internet, then you’ve run into a 404 error page. According to[ Lifewire](https://www.lifewire.com/404-not-found-error-explained-2622936), “a _404 error is an HTTP status code that means that the page you were trying to reach on a website couldn’t be found on their server._ To be clear, the 404 error indicates that while the server itself _is reachable_, the specific page showing the error is not.” The server’s there but the page isn’t. 404 error pages usually happen when you enter the web address incorrectly into the address bar in your browser or click on a “dead” link. Now, there are two really interesting aspects to error pages that make them appealing to hackers. First, _any_ incorrect web address you enter for a server will take you to the 404 error page. And, _since there is an infinite number of ways to enter a web address incorrectly_, this offers hackers the opportunity to create an infinite number of malicious links linking to the same error page. Theoretically, hackers could **send out a million emails** each with their own unique malicious link. That’s pretty appealing. ![Email phishing protection](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2019/08/email-phishing-protection-7468.jpg) _The other thing that makes error pages interesting to hackers is they can customize them to be anything they want_. They don’t actually have to have a message saying “404 Page Not Found Error.” They can do anything they want on that page, including creating a sign in box on a fake landing page to grab your credentials. And that’s exactly what Microsoft discovered was happening just last week, According to an[ article](https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/microsoft-warns-of-phishing-attacks-using-custom-404-pages/) on Bleeping Computer, “Microsoft security researchers discovered an unusual **phishing campaign** which employs custom 404 error pages to trick potential victims into handing out their Microsoft credentials. The custom 404 error pages these attackers use to harvest their victims’ credentials are perfectly camouflaged as legitimate Microsoft account sign-in pages, down to the smallest details.” There’s no way the average user will be able to identify this as a phishing scam. I don’t care how much **security awareness training** they’ve had. To protect yourself from schemes this intricate, you’re going to need a little help. ![Phishing definition](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2019/08/phishing-definition-8465.jpg) Allow me to introduce you to a little help:[ Phish Protection](/). The low cost, cloud-based [phishing protection](/) solution that doesn’t fall for fake 404 error pages or any other phishing tactic. Phish Protection works with all the popular email solutions, can be set up in 10 minutes and comes with all these features: - Smart Quarantine - Real-time link click protection - Display name spoofing protection - Domain name spoofing protection - Malicious attachment blocking - SPF, DKIM and DMARC It’s time to stop worrying about phishing with the help of our [anti-phishing solution](/content/anti-phishing-solution/). ## Topics [ Phishing Awareness ](/tags/phishing-awareness/) ![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/) ## Related Articles [ Foundational 5m 0ktapus, Okta Breach Helps Attackers Launch Sophisticated Supply Chain Attacks Sep 5, 2022 ](/blog/0ktapus-okta-breach-helps-attackers-launch-sophisticated-supply-chain-attacks/)[ Foundational 14m 12 Real-World Spear Phishing Examples And The Red Flags You Missed Feb 4, 2026 ](/blog/12-real-world-spear-phishing-examples-and-the-red-flags-you-missed/)[ Foundational 2m 8 million Android users fell prey to SpyLoan malware on Google Play Store Dec 5, 2024 ](/blog/8-million-android-users-fell-prey-to-spyloan-malware-on-google-play-store/)[ Foundational 1m A Big Part of the Phishing Problem is You Sep 17, 2019 ](/blog/a-big-part-of-the-phishing-problem-is-you/) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://phishprotection.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://phishprotection.com/images/phishprotection-logo.png"},"description":"Advanced phishing protection and email security for businesses. 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