As businesses rely more heavily on digital communication, email has become one of the most common—and dangerous—ways for cybercriminals to gain access. What was once just a tool for internal collaboration and external outreach is now a primary target for increasingly sophisticated attacks. To stay protected, companies need more than basic email filters. They also need a modern, strategic approach to cybersecurity that can keep up with today’s evolving threats.
Email: The Front Door for Cybercrime
Email has become one of the most exploited tools in the cybercriminal’s toolkit. Why? Because it’s universally used and often trusted. While employees focus on getting work done, attackers are focused on getting in—through lookalike domains, fake login pages, and impersonation tactics designed to trick even the most cautious user.
One recent incident illustrates just how easily trust can be exploited. In May 2025, scammers spoofed Indiana state government agencies by exploiting a former vendor’s email system. Messages appeared to alert recipients of unpaid tolls or suspicious PayPal activity—tricking individuals into clicking malicious links. It was a textbook case of exploiting trust and overlooked third-party access.
And it’s not just public agencies that are vulnerable. Small and midsize businesses are often the most at risk due to limited resources and aging security infrastructure.
A Surge in Sophistication
Gone are the days of cartoonish phishing scams. Today’s email attacks are polished and engineered to slip past traditional filters. Common tactics include:
- Impersonating known vendors or internal staff
- Delivering highly targeted spear-phishing emails
- Embedding malicious links or attachments in what appear to be routine messages
Take, for example, a high-profile breach in the healthcare industry. In February 2024, Change Healthcare, one of the largest healthcare tech firms in the U.S., suffered a breach after attackers harvested login credentials via a phishing campaign. The compromise led to widespread disruptions across billing and claims processing—affecting providers, insurers, and millions of patients.
And attackers are getting even smarter. We’re also seeing a rise in AI-enhanced phishing. Attackers are now using AI to generate highly realistic emails—free of the usual spelling and formatting errors. These messages often spoof internal conversations, reference real events, and insert themselves into ongoing threads, making them incredibly difficult for users to identify as threats.
These aren’t just technical threats, they’re social engineering attacks designed to manipulate behavior. As attackers evolve, the tools used to stop them must evolve faster. That’s why today’s email defenses need to be as smart—and as adaptive—as the threats they face.
Why Traditional Tools Fall Short
Legacy email filters are often good at catching obvious spam, but they’re not built to recognize emerging threats or subtle manipulation. Most operate on static rules or threat signatures, which means if the attack hasn’t been seen before, it’s more likely to get through.
Modern threats require modern defenses—solutions that use context, behavioral analysis, and real-time detection to flag potentially dangerous emails that otherwise look legitimate.
Building a Smarter Email Defense
At Thinc Forward, we help organizations move from reactive to proactive when it comes to email security. That means going beyond basic protection and implementing smart tools and strategies that:
- Analyze sender behavior and domain authenticity
- Provide visual warnings to users in real time
- Identify anomalies that signal impersonation attempts
- Help security teams respond quickly and decisively
More importantly, these solutions are designed to work behind the scenes—enhancing security without slowing down productivity. They’re a key part of the layered cybersecurity approach we recommend to ensure comprehensive protection.
Secure the Inbox. Empower the Business.
Email will always be central to how business gets done—but it shouldn’t be your biggest risk. With a modern, intelligent approach to email security, your organization can protect its people, data, and reputation while building a stronger foundation for growth.
Ready to take the first step? Contact us to learn how Thinc Forward can help you strengthen your defenses—starting with your inbox.
