• Why IRONSCALES
    OUR VALUE
    • Protect Better
      Protect Better

      Gain protection against advanced email attacks like BEC, ATO, social engineering, and more

    • Simplify Operations
      Simplify Operations

      Turn hours-a-day to minutes-a-month combatting phishing with customizable security automation

    • Empower Your Org
      Empower Your Org

      Triple your org's email security awareness with real-world phishing simulation testing and training

    CUSTOMERS
    • Customers
      Customers

      Check out the benefits provided to our customers and their stories

    • flag
      Case Studies

      Explore inspiring success stories from our 13,000+ global customers

    • star
      Reviews

      Uncover honest reviews with authentic insights from Gartner, G2, Capterra, and more

    NEWS
    • mic
      Press

      Read our latest press releases, news publications, and media highlights

    • award
      Awards

      Explore our awards and industry recognition achievements

    Thumbnail-google-workspace-and-ironscales-a-complete-email-security-solution
    Press: New Research

    New Osterman study reveals orgs with high confidence still lack capabilities against QR code attacks

    header-card-image-3
    Case Study: Webhelp

    Learn how Webhelp saved over 450 SecOp hours and is protecting 36,000 mailboxes

    header-card-image-1
    Awards: INC. 5000

    IRONSCALES earns 'Fastest Growing Email Security Company' for 3rd straight year

  • Platform
    Spring '24 Software Release! Check out our new deep image-based detection, GWS capabilities, and more. Explore the new additions
    CAPABILITIES
    • Inbound Email Protection
      Inbound Email Protection

      Get Adaptive AI email security against advanced attacks missed by other security controls​

    • Account Takeover Protection
      Account Takeover Protection

      Eliminate the risk of ATO with advanced prevention, detection, and response

    • Image-Based Attack Protection
      Image-Based Attack Protection

      Protect your organization from image-based attacks like malicious QR codes

    • SOC Automation
      SOC Automation

      Put SecOps workloads on auto-pilot with automated email remediation and more

    • Phishing Simulation Testing
      Phishing Simulation Testing

      Send your employees customized simulations built from real-world threats

    • Security Awareness Training
      Security Awareness Training

      Build a security-centric culture with automated personalized awareness campaigns

    • Crowdsourced Threat Intelligence
      Crowdsourced Threat Intelligence

      Leverage insights from 20,000+ security analysts in our community for email remediation

    • Collaboration Tool Protection
      Collaboration Tool Protection

      Protect your collaboration tools including Microsoft Teams® from advanced threats

    Take an Interactive Platform Tour
    TECHNOLOGY
    • Adaptive AI Engine
      Adaptive AI Engine

      Learn how we level up our AI with advanced ML models and Human Insights

    • Human Insights
      Human Insights

      See how we uniquely enhance our adaptive AI with real-time Human Insights

    • Generative AI
      Generative AI

      Discover how we use Gen-AI, large language models, and techniques for email security

    • Ecosystem Integrations
      Ecosystem Integrations

      Maximize your existing security tools with our seamlessly integrated platform

    Take an Interactive Platform Tour
  • Solutions
    USE CASE
    • BEC & Executive Impersonation
      BEC & Executive Impersonation

      Stop advanced attacks like BEC, VEC, and VIP impersonation

    • Advanced Malware/URL Attacks
      Advanced Malware/URL Attacks

      Continuously protect against malicious links and attachments

    • Credential-Theft
      Credential Harvesting

      Block attackers from stealing your sensitive business data

    • Account Takeover Attacks
      Account Takeover Attacks

      Prevent, detect, and respond to ATO attacks in real time

    • QR Code Attacks
      QR Code Attacks

      Decipher image-based attacks from weaponized QR codes

    • Generative AI Attacks
      Generative AI Attacks

      Safeguard your organization against GPT-crafted attacks

    • Phishing Simulation Testing
      Phishing Simulation Testing

      Test your employees with real-world email attacks

    • Security Awareness Training
      Security Awareness Training

      Build a security-first organization with integrated SAT campaigns

    Get A FREE Email Health Scan
  • Learn
    New Report! Osterman Research releases their 2024 findings on Image-based/QR Code Attacks. Read the report
    LEARN
    • Blog
      Blog

      Stay informed with our insights and updates

    • Guides
      Guides

      Explore our multi-chapter email security guides

    • bookmark
      Glossary

      Decode cybersecurity jargon with our glossary​

    • Resource Library
      Resource Library

      Rich content hub including whitepapers, reports, and more

    • Get Started
      Get Started

      Get started today with a 14-day free trial

    • Platform Tour
      Platform Tour

      Navigate our platform directly with an interactive guided tour

    • Engineering Corner
      Engineering Corner

      Explore articles and lessons from our R&D team members​

    CONNECT
    • Events
      Events

      View our upcoming in-person and virtual events

    • LinkedIn_icon-vector
      LinkedIn

      Join the evolving email security discourse with us on LinkedIn

    • Newsletter
      Newsletter

      Join our LinkedIn newsletter for security news and best practices

    See all resources
    FEATURED
    Email Security in the Age of AI
    Email Security in the Age of AI

    Understand the role of AI in fortifying defenses against evolving threats.

    QR Code Phishing
    QR Code Phishing

    QR codes serve as a new bypass method to evade detection.

    The ABCs of MFA
    The ABCs of MFA

    MFA is your digital doorman that keeps the malicious actors at bay.

    Phishing Prevention
    Phishing Prevention

    Dive into our complete 13-chapter guide on phishing prevention best practices

    Spear Phishing Thumbnail
    Spear Phishing

    Understand the inner workings of highly specialized phishing tactics and how to stop them

    Voice Phishing
    Voice Phishing

    See how attackers leverage new methods and channels to defraud businesses

  • Partner
    BY TYPE
    • Resellers
      Resellers

      Elevate your business with exclusive reselling opportunities

    • MSPs / MSSPs
      MSPs / MSSPs

      Unlock powerful email security capabilities for your end clients

    • Technology Partners
      Technology Partners

      View our industry-leading technology partners

    ENGAGE
    • Become Partner
      Become Partner

      Apply to become an IRONSCALES partner today

    • Partner Portal
      Partner Portal

      Check out valuable tools and resources for partners

    Become a Partner

    Partner with IRONSCALES Today
  • Pricing
  • headset_icon user Get a Demo
headset_icon user Get a Demo

What is an Abuse Mailbox?

An abuse mailbox serves as a centralized repository for employees to report suspicious emails, enabling IT and security teams to analyze and respond to potential threats, thereby enhancing email security within an organization. It acts as a triage system where user-reported emails are assessed, investigated, and appropriate actions are taken to mitigate any identified risks.

Abuse Mailbox Explained

An Abuse Mailbox refers to a designated destination where users can report suspicious emails to IT and security teams for further investigation and analysis. It serves as a crucial component in tracking and preventing potential email threats within an organization. The Abuse Mailbox acts as a centralized triage dashboard that enables security teams to assess user-reported emails, remediate attacks, and address any false alarms. It plays a vital role in email security by facilitating the identification and mitigation of malicious emails such as business email compromise (BEC) and credential harvesting attacks.

How does an Abuse Mailbox Work?

The workflow of an Abuse Mailbox typically follows the following process:

  1. Security Awareness Training: Employees receive training on how to identify and report potentially malicious emails to the Abuse Mailbox. This training familiarizes them with the necessary steps to take when encountering suspicious emails.

  2. Reporting Suspicious Emails: When an employee receives an email that appears suspicious, they report it to the Abuse Mailbox. This can be done by forwarding the email to a specific email address designated for abuse reports, such as abusemailbox@example.com. Some organizations may also provide an integrated "Report Phishing" button in an email banner for easy reporting.

    Phishing-Button-Animation-Rev-4IRONSCALES Integrated Report Phishing Button

  3. Manual Investigation: A Security Operations Center (SOC) analyst manually investigates the reported email to determine its nature, whether it is malicious or safe. This investigation involves scrutinizing the email's content, attachments, and other relevant information.

  4. Malicious Email Identification and Removal: In the event that the email is found to be malicious, the SOC analyst proceeds to identify the entire email campaign associated with the threat. Once identified, appropriate actions are taken to remove the malicious email campaign from the organization's email system.

Depending on the outcome of the investigation, the SOC analyst may inform the reporting employee about the safety of the email or utilize external tools to identify patterns or larger-scale email attacks targeting specific departments or employees. However, due to resource constraints, some SOC teams may not have the capacity to respond to each individual report.

Why are Abuse Mailboxes Important?

Abuse Mailboxes play a crucial role in maintaining email security within organizations. The following are the key reasons why Abuse Mailboxes are important:

  1. Centralized Triage: An Abuse Mailbox provides a centralized repository for user-reported emails, allowing security teams to efficiently assess and manage potential email threats. It streamlines the process of tracking, analyzing, and responding to reported emails.

  2. Attack Remediation: By promptly investigating and remediating malicious email campaigns, Abuse Mailboxes help prevent further compromise of an organization's security. They enable security teams to take appropriate actions to neutralize threats and protect employees from falling victim to email attacks.

  3. Pattern Identification: Abuse Mailboxes help identify patterns and trends in email attacks, such as specific departments or employees being heavily targeted. By analyzing user-reported emails collectively, security teams can gain insights into the nature and scale of potential threats, allowing them to implement proactive measures to enhance email security.

Shortcomings of Traditional Abuse Mailboxes

While traditional Abuse Mailboxes serve a valuable purpose, they come with certain limitations:

  1. Manual Workflow: The workflow of traditional Abuse Mailboxes is predominantly manual, requiring SOC analysts to manually investigate and verify each reported email. This manual process can be time-consuming and inefficient, especially when a significant portion of reported emails are determined to be safe.

  2. Time and Resource Constraints: SOC analysts may spend a considerable amount of time evaluating employee-reported emails, diverting their attention from other essential security tasks. This inefficiency can result in an underutilization of valuable security resources and delays in addressing critical security issues.

  3. Reporting Inconsistencies: Employees may sometimes ignore or forget to report suspicious emails they receive in their inboxes. This can occur due to a lack of comprehensive security awareness training or a lack of a simple and easily accessible reporting mechanism. Inconsistent reporting by employees can result in missed opportunities to detect and address potential email threats.

  4. Flooded Abuse Mailboxes: Organizations that experience a high volume of email attacks or have a large number of employees can quickly overwhelm their Abuse Mailboxes. With limited resources and overwhelmed SOC teams, the timely processing and response to reported emails become challenging, potentially leaving the organization vulnerable to email threats.
  5. Inefficient Use of the Abuse Mailbox: Some employees may misuse the Abuse Mailbox by sending emails unnecessarily or seeking approval for every email they deem suspicious. This can lead to an influx of non-malicious emails, causing the Abuse Mailbox to become overcrowded and hindering the efficient processing of genuine threats.

 

How IRONSCALES Enhances the Abuse Mailbox

IRONSCALES offers enhancements to the traditional Abuse Mailbox by leveraging automation and AI-powered analysis to optimize email security operations. Here are some ways in which IRONSCALES enhances the Abuse Mailbox:


  1. AI-powered Threat Analysis: Through AI-powered analysis, IRONSCALES automatically evaluates user-reported emails to determine their malicious or safe nature. This analysis helps identify potential threats accurately and efficiently, reducing the burden on SOC analysts to verify every reported email manually saving valuable time for SOC analysts and allowing them to focus on other critical security tasks.

    Themis-Confidence

  2. Auto-Remediation & Threat Clustering: When a malicious email is detected, IRONSCALES goes beyond individual email analysis. It identifies the entire email attack campaign associated with the threat and automates the process of removing all unreported emails from employee inboxes. This proactive approach helps prevent the spread of lookalike and polymorphic email attacks within the organization.

  3. Search, Filtering, and Insights: IRONSCALES provides robust search and filtering capabilities within the Abuse Mailbox. SOC analysts can easily search through and filter user-reported emails based on various parameters, allowing for efficient investigation and analysis. Additionally, the platform offers insights into the attack types of malicious emails, enabling better understanding and mitigation of email threats.

  4. Notifications and Reporting: IRONSCALES ensures effective communication with end users by providing email notifications. Users are promptly informed when an email they reported is deemed malicious, and they receive notifications about the remediation actions performed. This feedback loop helps foster a strong cybersecurity culture within the organization.

  5. Comprehensive Campaign Details: The platform keeps detailed records of reported email campaigns, including relevant recipients, the email body, and the email header. This information assists in tracking and understanding the scope and impact of email attacks, enabling organizations to implement targeted security measures.

In summary, IRONSCALES' enhancements to the Abuse Mailbox through automation, AI-powered analysis, and comprehensive features result in improved efficiency, accurate threat detection, proactive remediation, and effective communication within organizations. By alleviating manual workload, enhancing security operations, and providing valuable insights, IRONSCALES strengthens email security and helps organizations combat email threats effectively.

Check out the complete IRONSCALES enterprise email security platform here or get a hands-on live demo.

Platform-tour-glossary-side-panel-square
Explore Our Platform Tour

Immediately jump into an interactive journey through our AI email security platform.
Begin Tour

Featured Content

AI in Email Security

This comprehensive Osterman Research study explores the evolving landscape of AI-driven threats and innovative solutions implemented to stay ahead.

Download Report

Gartner® Email Security Market Guide

This guide gives email security experts an exclusive access to Gartner® research to ensure their existing solution remains appropriate for the evolving landscape.

Get The Gartner Guide

Defending the Enterprise from BEC

Data shows organizations deploy defense-in-depth approaches ineffective at addressing BEC attacks. Discover truly effective strategies in this report.

Download Report
Schedule a Demo

Request a demo to see what IRONSCALES AI-powered email security can do for you.
Get a Demo