Beyond the Bad Link: 5 Advanced Phishing Techniques
Beyond the "Bad Link": 5 Phishing Tactics You Need to Know in 2025
Think you can spot a phishing email from a mile away?
The classic “bad link” and typo-filled email is no longer the only threat. Attackers are getting smarter, using tactics designed to bypass both our security filters and our built-in vigilance.
Based on recent cybersecurity research, here are the evolving techniques attackers are using to land in your inbox and compromise your accounts.
1. The “Scan Me” PDF
Instead of a clickable link that your email filter might catch, attackers embed a QR code inside a PDF attachment. They know you’ll likely scan it with your phone, which may have fewer security protections than your work computer, effectively moving the attack to a more vulnerable device.
2. The “Secure” Password-Protected File
You receive an email with a password-protected PDF, and the password is right in the email body. This feels legitimate, right? This is a clever trick. The password protection is designed to prevent automated security scanners from seeing the malicious link or malware hidden inside the document. It uses a symbol of security to create a false sense of trust.
3. The “Calendar Attack”
This is a particularly sneaky one. An attacker sends you a calendar invitation. The body of the email might be empty, but the phishing link is hidden in the event description. If you accept the invite, you now have a “trusted” reminder popping up from your own calendar, complete with a malicious link.
4. The “Account Verification” Lure
You get a very simple email—like a fake “You have a new voice message” alert. The goal isn’t always to steal your credentials immediately. Sometimes, it’s just to get you to click so they can verify your email address is active, adding you to a list for more sophisticated, targeted attacks in the future.
5. The “MFA Bypass” Focus
Attackers know Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is one of our best defenses, so they are actively developing techniques to get around it. This includes “MFA fatigue” attacks (spamming you with approval requests until you accidentally hit “approve”) and other social engineering tactics.
How to Stay Aware and Protect Yourself
So, how do we defend against these evolving threats? It’s all about adding a healthy dose of suspicion to our daily workflow.
✅ Treat QR Codes in Emails as Red Flags. Ask yourself, “Why is this sender asking me to scan a code instead of providing a link?” Be extra cautious about scanning codes from unexpected sources.
✅ A Password Doesn’t Equal Trust. A password-protected file from an unknown sender is more suspicious, not less. It’s a sign they are likely trying to hide something from your security systems.
✅ Guard Your Calendar. Don’t accept calendar invites from people you don’t know or for events you weren’t expecting. Always inspect the event details and any links in the description before clicking “Accept.”
✅ Hover Before You Click. This is a classic for a reason. On your computer, always hover your mouse over any link or button (even in a PDF) to see the real web address it’s trying to send you to.
✅ Protect Your MFA. Never, ever approve an MFA request you didn’t initiate. If you are being spammed with requests, it means someone has your password and is actively trying to break in. Report it to your IT department immediately.
The best defense is a cautious and informed user. Stay vigilant!
Some security tools you can consider for improving your business security posture:
Omnistruct
Omnistruct provides the strategic expertise to build and scale your privacy, GRC, and security programs, empowering your team to achieve its goals without sacrificing compliance. By serving as your embedded security partner (BISO), Omnistruct delivers the executive-level guidance and hands-on support needed to mature your security posture and align it with your core business objectives. https://omnistruct.com/partners/influencers-meet-omnistruct/
CrowdStrike Falcon
CrowdStrike Falcon is the definitive AI-native platform built to stop breaches, empowering organizations to secure their entire infrastructure at scale. This end-to-end solution unifies endpoint, cloud, and identity protection, leveraging world-class threat intelligence to keep you decisively ahead of modern, AI-powered attacks. https://crowdstrike2001.partnerlinks.io/Cpf-coaching
INE Security Awareness and Training
INE Security Awareness and Training transforms your workforce into a powerful line of defense, empowering your teams to navigate the evolving threat landscape with confidence. This essential program moves beyond mere compliance, embedding deep security consciousness to measurably reduce human-activated risk and enhance your organization’s total defensive posture. https://get.ine.com/cpf-coaching
Tenable
Tenable provides the industry’s most comprehensive vulnerability management platform, empowering security teams to see and secure their entire attack surface—from on-prem to cloud and code. This unified solution illuminates hidden weaknesses and contextualizes risk, allowing you to prioritize threats and act decisively to protect your complete infrastructure. https://shop.tenable.com/cpf-coaching
Cyvatar.AI
Cyvatar.AI delivers an enterprise-grade, managed endpoint protection solution specifically designed to empower SMBs in the digital and cloud era. This affordable, AI-driven platform provides continuous monitoring and response without the cost or complexity of an in-house team, allowing you to focus on your business while we secure your assets. https://cyvataraif5706.referralrock.com/l/CHRISTOPHE77/
Guidde
Guidde is the AI-powered platform that transforms your team’s undocumented “tribal knowledge” into stunning, easy-to-follow video tutorials and step-by-step instructions. This solution empowers you to capture any process in seconds, drastically reducing training time, eliminating repetitive questions, and ensuring operational consistency across your organization. https://affiliate.guidde.com/cpf-coaching
Cyberupgrade
Cyberupgrade simplifies and accelerates your cyber and digital risk management, empowering you to grow your business without becoming a compliance expert. This intuitive platform abstracts away the complexities of frameworks like DORA, ISO 27001, and NIS2, freeing your team to concentrate on building, scaling, and serving your customers. https://join.cyberupgrade.net/cpf-coaching
1Password
1Password provides the industry’s most trusted solution for securing all your secrets, empowering individuals and businesses to protect their most sensitive data. This intuitive platform seamlessly manages passwords, tokens, documents, and credentials, offering a single, secure vault for your entire digital life, whether you’re at home, at work, or on the go. https://1password.partnerlinks.io/cpf-coaching
BLACKBOX AI
BLACKBOX AI is the world’s most advanced AI coding ecosystem, empowering developers at every level to build, debug, and deploy software 10x faster across any platform. This complete, end-to-end solution transforms ideas into reality by seamlessly integrating over 300 AI models directly into your workflow, from the web to your IDE. https://blackboxai.partnerlinks.io/cpf-coaching