Phishing protection solutions for modern email and collaboration threats

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.