When Phishing Has No Link or Attachment

Most email security solutions identify threats by examining links, files, and known signatures. But what happens when a phishing message doesn't include a malicious file or a suspicious link?

Business Email Compromise (BEC) messages, vendor impersonations, and requests to change payment details can appear technically legitimate, yet still lead to significant organizational damage.

Introducing KnowBe4 Defend: AI-Powered Email Security

KnowBe4 Defend is an email security layer based on AI and behavioral analysis. The system examines not only the content of the message but also the context in which it was sent, considering factors such as:

• Who is the sender, and what is their relationship with the recipient?
• Does the writing style match previous correspondence?
• Is the request unusual relative to typical communication patterns?
• Is there a sensitive request, such as a transfer of funds, sharing of information, or a change in payment details?
• Are there links, files, or other characteristics that indicate a risk?

Seamless Integration with Defend Mail Relay

With Defend Mail Relay, the system can be integrated directly into your incoming mail flow. External messages are routed to KnowBe4 Defend via SMTP, inspected before they reach the user's inbox, and only after analysis are they forwarded to the organizational email environment.

Internet → KnowBe4 Defend → Microsoft 365 → User

This pre-delivery model allows the system to identify and act on suspicious messages before the user is exposed to them.

Customizable Actions Based on Risk

Depending on the risk level and organizational policy, you can:

• Block suspicious messages or quarantine them.
• Display warnings and explanations within the message to the user.
• Provide security teams with additional context for investigation.
• Identify impersonation patterns and threats that are not based solely on signatures.

Beyond Traditional Scanning

The value of Defend extends beyond simply another scan of the same message. The system adds a layer that attempts to understand whether the message makes sense for the specific user, based on the sender's identity, their relationship, the message content, and the organization's communication patterns.

This approach significantly improves the ability to combat threats that bypass traditional controls, especially BEC, impersonation, and social engineering attacks.