purple · Easy · 200 XP · 45 minutes

Phishing Fundamentals

Phishing remains one of the most common cyberattack vectors. Explore email deliverability architecture, inspect raw SPF/DKIM records, and learn how to safely analyze suspicious messages.

Tactical attack scenario

A user reports receiving an urgent notification claiming to be from the security team. Trace the sender, verify authentication keys, and uncover the phishing domain.

Learning objectives

Understand phishing types and human engineering factors
Inspect mail server SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication controls
Analyze raw SMTP mail headers to identify spoofed domains
Run suspicious attachment analysis in isolated sandboxes

Recommended background

No prior security experience is expected; basic computer use is enough to begin.

Estimated duration: 45 minutes.

This public overview contains no flags, credentials, or solution steps. Practise only in the provided authorized environment.