Adversaries may send phishing messages to gain access to victim systems. All forms of phishing are electronically delivered social engineering. Phishing can be targeted, known as spearphishing. In spearphishing, a specific individual, company, or industry will be targeted by the adversary. More generally, adversaries can conduct non-targeted phishing, such as in mass malware spam campaigns.
Adversaries may send victims emails containing malicious attachments or links, typically to execute malicious code on victim systems. Phishing may also be conducted via third-party services, like social media platforms. Phishing may also involve social engineering techniques, such as posing as a trusted source, as well as evasive techniques such as removing or manipulating emails or metadata/headers from compromised accounts being abused to send messages (e.g., Email Hiding Rules).[1][2] Another way to accomplish this is by Email Spoofing[3] the identity of the sender, which can be used to fool both the human recipient as well as automated security tools,[4] or by including the intended target as a party to an existing email thread that includes malicious files or links (i.e., "thread hijacking").[5]
Victims may also receive phishing messages that instruct them to call a phone number where they are directed to visit a malicious URL, download malware,[6][7] or install adversary-accessible remote management tools onto their computer (i.e., User Execution).[8]
Top 21%of all ATT&CK techniques for number of groups
8 groups have been recorded using this technique. Newest first; each entry carries MITRE’s procedure text and a link to the group’s full record. Click a name to filter the rules below.
Has used spearphishing to gain initial access and intelligence.12
created 2019-08-262 referencesaka Black Banshee
All 8 groups for this technique · 6 newest in this preview
3 software entries are documented implementing this technique. MITRE files each as a tool or as malware; newest first, then by how many groups carry them.
Has been spread through the use of phishing campaigns including "call back phishing" where victims are lured into calling a number provided through email.123
MITRE names one behaviour worth catching for this technique and breaks it into 6 analytics, one per platform. Each carries the log sources it needs and the fields you tune per environment.
Detection Strategy for Phishing across platforms.
Enterprise
6 platforms
AN0188 · Windows
Unusual inbound email activity where attachments or embedded URLs are delivered to users followed by execution of new processes or suspicious document behavior. Detection involves correlating email metadata, file creation, and network activity after a phishing message is received.
Log sources
The data this analytic draws on. You do not need every component — each one you already collect covers part of it. Each links to its ATT&CK record.
MITRE calls these the analytic’s mutable elements: the thresholds and filters you set for your own environment.
Field
What you tune
SuspiciousFileTypes
Attachment types considered high risk (e.g., .exe, .js, .vbs, .scr, macro-enabled docs).
AllowedSenders
Whitelist of known trusted senders to reduce false positives.
AN0189 · Linux
Monitor for malicious payload delivery through phishing where attachments or URLs in email clients (e.g., Thunderbird, mutt) result in unusual file creation or outbound network connections. Focus on correlation between mail logs, file writes, and execution activity.
Log sources
The data this analytic draws on. You do not need every component — each one you already collect covers part of it. Each links to its ATT&CK record.
Inbound messages with anomalous headers, spoofed SPF/DKIM failures
Tunable fields
MITRE calls these the analytic’s mutable elements: the thresholds and filters you set for your own environment.
Field
What you tune
MonitoredMailPaths
System or user directories where emails/attachments are stored.
AttachmentHashBaseline
Known good hashes for common business document templates.
AN0190 · macOS
Detection of phishing through anomalous Mail app activity, such as attachments saved to disk and immediately executed, or Safari/Preview launching URLs and files linked from email messages. Correlate UnifiedLogs events with subsequent process execution.
Log sources
The data this analytic draws on. You do not need every component — each one you already collect covers part of it. Each links to its ATT&CK record.
Inbound email activity with suspicious domains or mismatched sender information
Tunable fields
MITRE calls these the analytic’s mutable elements: the thresholds and filters you set for your own environment.
Field
What you tune
SuspiciousDomains
List of domains known for phishing activity or suspicious sender infrastructure.
ExecutionDelayWindow
Time threshold between file save and execution considered suspicious.
AN0191 · Office Suite
Phishing via Office documents containing embedded macros or links that spawn processes. Detection relies on correlating Office application logs with suspicious child process execution and outbound network connections.
Log sources
The data this analytic draws on. You do not need every component — each one you already collect covers part of it. Each links to its ATT&CK record.
Failed MFA attempts, unusual conditional access triggers, login attempts from unexpected IP ranges
Tunable fields
MITRE calls these the analytic’s mutable elements: the thresholds and filters you set for your own environment.
Field
What you tune
GeoAnomalyThreshold
Allowed distance/time delta between user sign-ins.
MFABypassIndicators
Signals of repeated or anomalous MFA failures linked to phishing campaigns.
AN0193 · SaaS
Phishing delivered via SaaS services (chat, collaboration platforms) where messages contain malicious URLs or attachments. Detect anomalous link clicks, suspicious file uploads, or token misuse after SaaS-based phishing attempts.
Log sources
The data this analytic draws on. You do not need every component — each one you already collect covers part of it. Each links to its ATT&CK record.
Determine if certain websites or attachment types (ex: .scr, .exe, .pif, .cpl, etc.) that can be used for phishing are necessary for business operations and consider blocking access if activity cannot be monitored well or if it poses a significant risk.
Use anti-spoofing and email authentication mechanisms to filter messages based on validity checks of the sender domain (using SPF) and integrity of messages (using DKIM). Enabling these mechanisms within an organization (through policies such as DMARC) may enable recipients (intra-org and cross domain) to perform similar message filtering and validation.
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