EMAIL BETA - External email display name impersonation of internal personnel

Cortex XDR Analytics Alert Reference by Alert name

Product
Cortex XDR
Last date published
2025-04-21
Category
Analytics Alert Reference
Index by
Alert name

Synopsis

Activation Period

14 Days

Training Period

30 Days

Test Period

N/A (single event)

Deduplication Period

1 Day

Required Data

  • Requires:
    • Microsoft 365 Emails

Detection Modules

Email

Detector Tags

ATT&CK Tactic

Defense Evasion (TA0005)

ATT&CK Technique

Impersonation (T1656)

Severity

Low

Description

  • The sender's email address appears unusual in relation to the provided display name, suggesting a possible impersonation attempt targeting an internal user.

Attacker's Goals

Impersonate internal users or familiar individuals and trick them into clicking on malicious links or attachments.

Investigative actions

  • Check the email address for any unusual spellings, missing letters, or unknown domains.
  • Examine the sender's IP address and reputation.
  • Verify whether the sender's IP address has appeared in different log sources before, and if it is recognizable.
  • If the message contains attachments/links, scrutinize them for any suspicious indications.
  • Monitor further actions taken, such as file downloads or access to potentially malicious links.