EMAIL BETA - Usage of homograph characters detected in an email

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

Severity

Informational

Description

Detected characters resembling Latin letters within an email's subject and/or body.
This could indicate an attempt to impersonate a well-known brand or impersonate someone's identity.
This could also be used as a method to evade text scanners and analyzers.

Attacker's Goals

Impersonate known legitimate brands or evade defenses, tricking recipients into clicking on malicious links or attachments.

Investigative actions

  • Check the characters in the email address for any characters that might look slightly different.
  • 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.
  • Check the domain the email came from, and if this domain is recognized within the organization.
  • 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.