--- title: Phishing protection solutions for modern email and collaboration threats description: Protect Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace users from phishing, BEC, credential theft and QR-code attacks. Reduce risk with layered protection and faster recovery. canonical_url: https://www.acronis.com/en/solutions/phishing-protection/ locale: en last_updated: 2026-10-27 --- # Phishing protection solutions for modern email and collaboration threats Protect users from business email compromise (BEC), credential theft, QR-code phishing and AI-generated attacks with layered email security and integrated recovery. [Get 1:1 demo](https://www.acronis.com/en/solutions/request-demo/?utm_webteam=solution-header) [Explore research findings](https://www.acronis.com/en/resource-center/resource/acronis-cyberthreats-report-h2-2025/?utm_webteam=solution-header) ## Frequently asked questions ### What is phishing? Phishing is a cyberattack technique that uses fraudulent emails, websites, collaboration apps, SMS and other communication methods to trick users into sharing credentials, financial information or other sensitive data. ### How is business email compromise (BEC) different from phishing? Business email compromise (BEC) is a targeted form of phishing that relies primarily on impersonation and social engineering rather than malicious links or attachments. Attackers often pose as executives, suppliers, customers or trusted colleagues to convince employees to transfer funds, change payment details or share sensitive information. ### What is QR-code phishing? QR-code phishing, also known as quishing, hides malicious destinations inside QR codes that direct users to credential theft pages, malware downloads or other fraudulent websites. Because the destination URL is embedded inside an image, QR-code phishing can bypass traditional email security controls. ### How does AI change the phishing threat landscape? AI enables attackers to create more convincing phishing messages faster and at greater scale. AI-generated emails often mimic legitimate communication styles, making phishing attempts more difficult for users and traditional filters to identify. ### Why are phishing attacks becoming harder to detect? Modern phishing attacks increasingly use AI-generated content, compromised accounts, QR codes and collaboration platforms to evade traditional security controls. These techniques reduce the warning signs users and older filtering technologies once relied on to identify malicious messages. ### Does Microsoft 365 already protect us from phishing? Microsoft 365 includes native email security capabilities that help reduce spam and known threats. However, modern phishing campaigns increasingly use AI-generated content, impersonation techniques, QR codes and previously unseen attack methods that may evade traditional filtering approaches. ### Is DMARC enough to stop phishing? DMARC is an important control for reducing domain spoofing, but it does not stop all phishing attacks. Attackers can still use compromised accounts, lookalike domains and social engineering techniques to deceive users. ### Can phishing attacks lead to ransomware? Yes. Phishing emails remain one of the most common delivery methods for ransomware. A single click on a malicious link or attachment can result in malware installation, data encryption and operational disruption. ### What should I do if an employee clicks a phishing link? Immediately isolate the affected account or device, reset credentials and investigate for signs of unauthorized access. Organizations should then assess the scope of the incident, contain any further spread, restore affected data if necessary and review security controls to reduce the likelihood of future compromise. ### Can managed service providers (MSPs) manage phishing protection across multiple customer environments? Yes. MSPs often need centralized visibility, consistent policy management and efficient recovery workflows across multiple customer environments. A lifecycle-based approach to phishing protection helps MSPs protect customers at scale while reducing operational complexity. ### Why is phishing a unique challenge for managed service providers? Managed service providers are responsible for protecting multiple client environments simultaneously. If more than one client is affected by a phishing attack, MSPs must respond quickly to investigate and contain the damage. As a result, MSPs need phishing protection that supports centralized visibility, consistent policy management and efficient incident response. ### What should MSPs look for in a phishing protection solution? MSPs should look for phishing protection that combines layered threat detection, centralized management, recovery capabilities and support for multi-tenant operations. Consistent policy enforcement, visibility across customer environments and rapid recovery can help MSPs reduce operational complexity while protecting clients from evolving phishing threats. ### Can phishing attacks spread across multiple customer environments? Because a phishing attack is often part of a large-scale campaign, a single phishing email can be delivered to thousands and sometimes millions of recipients. If multiple MSP clients receive and click on a phishing email, operational disruption can spread across multiple client tenants. This is why multitenant email security management and rapid detection, containment and recovery are important for managed service providers. ## Phishing continues to run rampant An employee clicks a malicious link and enters credentials, and the flow of data to cybercriminals begins almost immediately. What starts as a single click can quickly lead to account compromise, business email compromise (BEC), ransomware and operational downtime. Organizations need to understand both the scale of the threat and how to reduce its impact. “Phishing remains the most common human-centric access vector, frequently enabling credential capture or malware delivery that later facilitates broader compromise.” **Source: [Acronis Cyberthreats Report H2 2025](https://www.acronis.com/en/resource-center/resource/acronis-cyberthreats-report-h2-2025/)** * 83% of email threats were phishing-related in H2 2025 Acronis Cyberthreats Report, H2 2025 * 60% of data involved the human element Verizon 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report DBIR * $4.67 million average cost of a credential breach IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025 ## Why phishing still works Phishing remains effective because attackers exploit trust, urgency and routine business workflows. AI now makes malicious messages harder to distinguish from legitimate communication, reducing the obvious warning signs users once relied on. ![Image 2: Why phishing still works](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/f32b234327af457e71e799cab82be9c7.png) | Threat type | How it works | Why it succeeds | Key risk indicator | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Business email compromise (BEC) | Attackers impersonate executives, customers or partners to trick employees into transferring money or sharing sensitive information. | Impersonation attacks can appear legitimate, even when standard authentication checks pass. | Financial fraud, wire transfer scams and executive impersonation attacks continue to increase. | | Credential theft | Phishing pages steal credentials and session tokens used to access Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and other business systems. | AI-generated phishing emails often avoid the keywords, formatting patterns and known signatures that traditional filters rely on for detection. | Attackers can move from a single compromised account to wider business disruption. | | Ransomware delivery | Phishing emails remain one of the primary delivery methods for ransomware, malware and malicious attachments. | Attackers use QR codes, embedded payloads and collaboration-platform messages to evade traditional email defenses. | One click on a phishing link can lead to data encryption, system downtime and operational disruption. | ## The phishing protection lifecycle Effective phishing protection is not limited to blocking suspicious emails. Organizations need a lifecycle-based approach that helps prevent attacks, detect evasive techniques, contain compromise, restore affected data and recover operations quickly. Step 1 ### Prevent Phishing protection starts with controls that reduce exposure to common attack techniques, including spoofing, impersonation and malicious links. Relevant layers: * Anti-spoofing protections * URL and reputation analysis Step 2 ### Detect Modern phishing attacks often use obfuscation, QR codes, embedded payloads and previously unknown techniques to evade traditional filters. Relevant layers: * Anti-evasion analysis * QR-code recognition * Dynamic threat detection Step 3 ### Contain When a phishing attack succeeds, organizations need to act quickly to prevent further spread. Key actions: * Isolate compromised accounts * Revoke active sessions * Block malicious senders, URLs or attachments Step 4 ### Assess Security teams need to determine which systems, accounts and data were affected. Key actions: * Review email activity * Review user actions and system activity * Review security alerts * Understand the scope of the incident Step 5 ### Restore Affected data must be restored quickly to reduce disruption. Key actions: * Restore compromised mailboxes * Restore files and collaboration data * Restore Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace Step 6 ### Recover After restoring systems and data, organizations can resume operations and strengthen defenses. Key actions: * Use granular recovery * Verify backup integrity * Review the incident * Implement additional safeguards ## Why organizations choose Acronis for phishing protection Whether you are an organization protecting your employees or an MSP protecting your customers, a lifecycle-based approach helps reduce risk, limit disruption and ensure faster recovery. ### Layered phishing protection Block modern phishing techniques across email and collaboration platforms with layered detection and analysis, including anti-evasion analysis, URL and reputation analysis, QR-code recognition, anti-spoofing protections, and dynamic threat detection. ### Integrated recovery capabilities Recover critical data and restore normal operations quickly when phishing attacks lead to account compromise or data loss with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace backup, granular recovery, ransomware rollback, and immutable storage. ### Unified cyber protection platform Manage phishing protection, backup, and recovery through a single, natively integrated platform that reduces complexity, improves visibility, accelerates recovery, strengthens business continuity, and lowers total cost of ownership. ## Phishing protection challenges vary by organization Different organizations face different realities. Phishing protection should address what matters most to you. For businesses For managed service providers ## Reduce risk and business disruption [Acronis Cyber Protect](https://www.acronis.com/en/products/cyber-protect/) offers organizations phishing protection that helps reduce account compromise, data loss, ransomware exposure and operational downtime. * Reduce phishing-related risk * Protect Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace data * Improve visibility into phishing activity * Support business continuity ![Image 3: Reduce risk and business disruption](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/562b392f56afca0e87f8f848402cc2c4.png) ## Protect customers at scale [Acronis Cyber Platform (formerly Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud)](https://www.acronis.com/en/products/cloud/cyber-protect/) offers MSPs phishing protection that can be managed consistently across multiple customer environments without increasing operational complexity. * Centralize visibility across customer environments * Maintain consistent protection policies * Reduce administrative overhead * Support rapid recovery across customer tenants ![Image 4: Protect customers at scale](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/295b00b3f2bbdeb7782ab3bb065ecbf6.png) ## Phishing protection solutions for modern email and collaboration threats [Get 1:1 demo](https://www.acronis.com/en/solutions/request-demo/?utm_webteam=solution-slice) [Explore research findings](https://www.acronis.com/en/resource-center/resource/acronis-cyberthreats-report-h2-2025/?utm_webteam=solution-slice) ## Learn how Acronis helps customers and partners reach their goals [![Image 5: Panathinaikos FC teams up with TicTac and Acronis against phishing attacks](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/9a1c78ec9fe9c9b4d811d7617acd4b60.png)](https://www.acronis.com/en/resource-center/resource/panathinaikos-fc-teams-up-with-tictac-and-acronis-against-phishing-attacks/) Case study ### [Panathinaikos FC teams up with TicTac and Acronis against phishing attacks](https://www.acronis.com/en/resource-center/resource/panathinaikos-fc-teams-up-with-tictac-and-acronis-against-phishing-attacks/) “The #TeamUp experience brings people, clients and partners together to the training center of the sports team. You get to know the football players and the hospitality of their (Panathinaikos') marketing and IT teams.” **Panagiotis Pierros** CEO of TicTac [Read case study](https://www.acronis.com/en/resource-center/resource/panathinaikos-fc-teams-up-with-tictac-and-acronis-against-phishing-attacks/) ## Want to learn more? Read the latest news and articles about phishing protection on our blog. [Acronis Blog](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/phishing/) ![Image 6: Microsoft AI Security for SMBs: Purview Coverage Explained](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/26d37ae6d05d5d57f26427da530711de.png) [Microsoft AI Security for SMBs: Purview Coverage Explained](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/microsoft-ai-security-for-small-teams/) See what Microsoft Purview covers for AI security, where additional controls may help, and how Acronis GenAI Protection supports SMBs and MSPs. **30 September 2026**9 min read ![Image 7: Why MSPs should manage security awareness training like any other security control](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/c2a97def6823ea859c5fbb1d98216f07.png) [Why MSPs should manage security awareness training like any other security control](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/why-msps-should-manage-security-awareness-training-like-any-other-security-control/) AI phishing, BEC and social engineering have made user behavior part of the attack path. Acronis Security Awareness Training helps MSPs reduce human risk at scale. **10 June 2026**5 min read ![Image 8: What is email threat prevention? A complete guide in 2026](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/063d895e474bdb5be78212ff766f35b9.png) [What is email threat prevention? A complete guide in 2026](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/what-is-email-threat-prevention-a-complete-guide-in-2026/) Learn how email threat prevention blocks phishing, malware, BEC and zero-day attacks using AI, sandboxing, URL scanning and DMARC-based authentication. **06 March 2026**6 min read