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Scams by Appointment: Exploiting Google Calendar Invites

Using calendar invites to bypass SEGs.

Piotr Avatar Synthesia Thumbnail 1x1 2

What is the attack?

  • Attack Delivery: Scammers exploited Google Calendar's notification system to send invites that bypass email security policies. These invites contain links to Google Drawings, which include a clickable image of a fake Google CAPTCHA. Clicking the image redirects victims to a fraudulent Bitcoin mining website.

Why did it get through?

  • Verified Source: Email sent from a domain passing SPF/DMARC sender authentication checks.

  • Content Analysis: Email security tools often fail to scrutinize calendar invite notifications or URLs embedded within event descriptions.

  • Legitimate Hosting: The document was hosted on a legitimate Adobe Creative Cloud site, lending it an appearance of authenticity.

What is required to solve for this attack?

  • Behavioural Analysis: Abnormal’s Behavioral AI flags never-before-seen senders, unusual email content, and URLs as anomalies that enable the detection of novel attacks.

  • Content Analysis and Natural Language Processing: Abnormal understands the email's content, recognizing the urgency and financial implications as indicators of a financial themed attack.