Building resilience against ever-evolving phishing attacks

Phishing attacks have become one of the most pervasive and sophisticated threats facing individuals and organizations. In fact, according to the 2025 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR), phishing was involved in 16 percent of breaches, making it one of the top initial access vectors attackers use to enable credential abuse. Moreover, cybercriminals are continually evolving their tactics to exploit trusted brands and deceive users, placing personal data and security at serious risk.

To protect our customers from phishing attempts, we embrace an integrated security approach that tackles social engineering threats through various stages. In this blog, I will share how Adobe’s security teams work to implement both proactive and reactive security measures that continuously adapt to the evolving threat landscape.

Common phishing attack methods

Cybercriminals are often known to exploit established brands to create deceiving messages that take advantage of users’ trust in those brands and lower their defenses. Well-known brands are frequently targeted through a variety of exploitation tactics, including but not limited to:

• Phishing emails: Deceptive emails that appear to come from Adobe, often disguised as account updates or security alerts. These emails attempt to trick users into clicking malicious links, downloading harmful attachments, or providing sensitive information such as login credentials.
• Fake websites: Imitation login pages or support sites using URLs that closely mimic official brand domains. These counterfeit sites are designed to steal login credentials or distribute malware.
• Abuse of cloud services: Malicious actors may misuse cloud-based services to host harmful content, exploiting the platform's trusted reputation to bypass security filters.
• Fake mobile apps: Fraudulent mobile applications posing as legitimate brand apps, created to trick users into downloading malware or disclosing personal information.

We take a risk-based approach and focus our efforts on providing protection against these threats. By understanding these methods, both Adobe and our customers can stay more vigilant and better prepared to defend against potential threats.

How Adobe tackles phishing attacks

To extend protection for our customers, Adobe employs a multi-layered approach that includes both proactive and reactive measures to heighten defense against phishing attempts.

Proactive measures

Our proactive efforts take place early in the threat lifecycle and are designed to identify and mitigate phishing threats early on. Being proactive when it comes to phishing is crucial because it helps us reduce risk and limit exposure to attacks. Here are a few of the ways Adobe proactively works to help prevent phishing attacks before they occur:

• Continuous brand monitoring: Adobe Security actively monitors unauthorized usage of the Adobe brand to help identify and address potential threats before they reach our customers. For example, we use tools to detect lookalike domains and phishing websites or URLs.
• Content moderation platforms: We use a combination of signature-based detection, which flags known malicious keywords, URLs, and IP addresses, and behavior-based detection, which identifies unusual link redirects and suspicious JavaScript activity. Any flagged content triggers automatic quarantine for manual review.
• Real-time URL validation: We integrate advanced filtering algorithms and leverage threat intelligence feeds to detect and block malicious links in real-time, helping prevent harmful URLs from reaching our customers’ inboxes or devices.
• Collaboration with external partners: We collaborate closely with external security vendors and partners to obtain real-time updates on phishing URLs and threats, helping enhance our security to stay ahead of threats as they evolve.
• Gathering global threat intelligence: As a member of the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG), Adobe leverages the eCrime eXchange, a threat data sharing platform, to access helpful data on phishing URLs, domains, emails, and malicious IP addresses, and contribute to global efforts against identity theft, phishing, crimeware, and email spoofing.

Reactive measures

In addition to proactive measures, strong reactive protocols are essential for minimizing damage once a phishing attack is detected. This allows us to respond swiftly, contain threats, and support affected users. Adobe engages in the following reactive protocols to help reduce the impact of phishing attempts:

• Swift takedown procedures: When Adobe identifies phishing sites or malicious content that may be impersonating us, we quickly work with security vendors, domain registrars, hosting providers, and law enforcement to help remove these threats.
• Incident response planning: Our dedicated security teams have comprehensive plans in place to respond efficiently to security incidents, including containment, mitigation, communication, and post-incident analysis, enabling continuous improvement of our defenses.
• Cross-team collaboration: We maintain close collaboration across various groups – security, fraud, trust and safety, legal, and product teams – to coordinate effective responses to phishing threats, enhancing our ability to protect our customers and their data.

How customers can protect themselves

While Adobe is committed to securing our platforms and protecting our customers, users also play a vital role in safeguarding their own information. Here are a few best practices to keep in mind:

• Verify communications: Be cautious of emails claiming to be from Adobe, especially those urging immediate action. Check the sender’s email address and avoid clicking unfamiliar links.
• Use official channels: Access Adobe products and services directly through adobe.com or official Adobe mobile apps from trusted app stores. Avoid clicking login or download links in unsolicited emails.
• Enable security features: Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA) or Passkey for your Adobe account to add an extra layer of security. You can manage your account and security settings at account.adobe.com
• Stay informed: Visit Adobe’s Security Bulletin and Security Blog regularly to stay updated on emerging threats and protective guidance.
• Report suspicious activities: If you encounter any suspicious activity or phishing attempts that appear to come from Adobe, please report them to phishing@adobe.com or other notifying channels listed here.

Wrap up

At Adobe, we are committed to protecting our customers from phishing attempts by continuously strengthening our security measures, collaborating with industry experts, and staying ahead of emerging cyber threats. We believe that awareness and taking strong action are key to creating a secure environment – one that safeguards our users and honors the trust they place in us.

Looking ahead, we plan to continue expanding our automated detection systems and threat intelligence integrations, improving our ability to anticipate phishing trends and stop attacks before they impact our customers.