Spearphishing targets specific individuals using personalized, researched
SKILL.md
Detecting Spearphishing with Email Gateway
Overview
Spearphishing targets specific individuals using personalized, researched content that bypasses generic spam filters. Email security gateways (SEGs) like Microsoft Defender for Office 365, Proofpoint, Mimecast, and Barracuda provide advanced detection capabilities including behavioral analysis, URL detonation, attachment sandboxing, and impersonation detection. This skill covers configuring these gateways to detect and block targeted phishing attacks.
When to Use
When investigating security incidents that require detecting spearphishing with email gateway
When building detection rules or threat hunting queries for this domain
When SOC analysts need structured procedures for this analysis type
When validating security monitoring coverage for related attack techniques
Prerequisites
Access to email security gateway admin console
Understanding of email flow architecture (MX records, transport rules)
Familiarity with SPF/DKIM/DMARC authentication
Knowledge of common spearphishing techniques and pretexts
Key Concepts
Spearphishing Characteristics
Targeted recipients: Specific individuals, often executives or finance staff
Researched pretexts: References to real projects, colleagues, or events
