Detection Method: Optical Character Recognition

OCR (Optical Character Recognition) helps systems read and analyze text in images, screenshots, and scanned documents. This method turns visual text into machine-readable content, allowing your security tools to catch things that would normally slip past text-based filters.
OCR can help you detect:
  • Phishing text hidden in images to bypass text-based filters
  • Suspicious language or instructions in scanned documents
  • QR codes with malicious links
  • Brand impersonation attempts using image-based logos or text
  • Requests for sensitive information disguised in images
For example, attackers often embed fake login prompts or instructions to call a "customer support" number in images. These tricks are designed to bypass traditional security filters, but OCR can extract and analyze the text to flag it as malicious before it reaches you.
Blog Posts
Hiding a $50,000 BEC financial fraud in a fake email thread · Blog · Sublime Security
Hiding a $50,000 BEC financial fraud in a fake email thread · Blog · Sublime Security
Call Me Maybe? The Rise of Callback Phishing Emails · Blog · Sublime Security
Call Me Maybe? The Rise of Callback Phishing Emails · Blog · Sublime Security
Detecting Credential Phishing using Deep Learning + MQL · Blog · Sublime Security
Detecting Credential Phishing using Deep Learning + MQL · Blog · Sublime Security
Attack Types (6):
BEC/Fraud
Credential Phishing
Malware/Ransomware
Callback Phishing
Extortion
Spam
Tactics & Techniques (15):
Impersonation: Brand
Social engineering
Evasion
PDF
Free file host
Image as content
Free subdomain host
Open redirect
Free email provider
Out of band pivot
QR code
Encryption
Impersonation: VIP
Macros
Spoofing
Rule Name & Severity
Last Updated
Author
Types, Tactics & Capabilities
Brand impersonation: Internal Revenue Service
2d ago
Jul 14th, 2026
Sublime Security
BEC/Fraud
Credential Phishing
Impersonation: Brand
Social engineering
Content analysis
Natural Language Understanding
Optical Character Recognition
Sender analysis
Link: Multistage landing - Abused Adobe Acrobat hosted PDF
2d ago
Jul 14th, 2026
Sublime Security
Credential Phishing
Impersonation: Brand
Social engineering
Computer Vision
Optical Character Recognition
URL analysis
Header analysis
Sender analysis
Brand impersonation: Amazon Web Services (AWS)
10d ago
Jul 6th, 2026
Sublime Security
Credential Phishing
Impersonation: Brand
Social engineering
Content analysis
Header analysis
Optical Character Recognition
Sender analysis
Natural Language Understanding
Attachment: Suspicious PDF created with headless browser
15d ago
Jul 1st, 2026
Sublime Security
Credential Phishing
Evasion
PDF
Content analysis
Exif analysis
File analysis
Optical Character Recognition
Cloud storage impersonation with credential theft indicators
16d ago
Jun 30th, 2026
Sublime Security
Credential Phishing
Free file host
Image as content
Impersonation: Brand
Social engineering
Computer Vision
Content analysis
Header analysis
Natural Language Understanding
Optical Character Recognition
Sender analysis
URL analysis
Attachment: Invoice and W-9 PDFs with suspicious creators
20d ago
Jun 26th, 2026
Sublime Security
BEC/Fraud
PDF
Social engineering
Impersonation: Brand
File analysis
Optical Character Recognition
Exif analysis
Content analysis
Attachment: Duplicated header pages in fraudulent multi-page PDF Request for Quotation
21d ago
Jun 25th, 2026
Sublime Security
BEC/Fraud
PDF
Social engineering
Optical Character Recognition
Content analysis
File analysis
Brand impersonation: Fake procurement/RFQ PDF from energy and industrial companies
21d ago
Jun 25th, 2026
Sublime Security
BEC/Fraud
Impersonation: Brand
PDF
Social engineering
Image as content
Optical Character Recognition
File analysis
Content analysis
Brand impersonation: Fake Fax
29d ago
Jun 17th, 2026
Sublime Security
Credential Phishing
Impersonation: Brand
Image as content
Free file host
Free subdomain host
Social engineering
Computer Vision
Content analysis
Optical Character Recognition
Sender analysis
URL analysis
Open Redirect: Google domain with /url path and suspicious indicators
1mo ago
Jun 5th, 2026
Sublime Security
Credential Phishing
Evasion
Open redirect
Computer Vision
Content analysis
File analysis
Header analysis
Natural Language Understanding
Optical Character Recognition
Sender analysis
URL analysis
Attachment: Microsoft 365 credential phishing
1mo ago
Jun 5th, 2026
Sublime Security
Credential Phishing
Impersonation: Brand
Social engineering
Content analysis
File analysis
Header analysis
Optical Character Recognition
Sender analysis
Credential phishing: DocuSign embedded image lure with no DocuSign domains in links
1mo ago
Jun 5th, 2026
Sublime Security
Credential Phishing
Impersonation: Brand
Social engineering
Computer Vision
Content analysis
Header analysis
Natural Language Understanding
Optical Character Recognition
Sender analysis
Attachment: Fake attachment image lure
1mo ago
Jun 5th, 2026
Sublime Security
Credential Phishing
Malware/Ransomware
Evasion
Image as content
Social engineering
File analysis
Natural Language Understanding
Optical Character Recognition
Attachment: Callback phishing solicitation via pdf file
1mo ago
Jun 5th, 2026
Sublime Security
Callback Phishing
Evasion
Free email provider
Out of band pivot
PDF
Social engineering
Exif analysis
File analysis
Optical Character Recognition
Sender analysis
Attachment: Adobe image lure in body or attachment with suspicious link
1mo ago
Jun 5th, 2026
Sublime Security
Credential Phishing
Image as content
Impersonation: Brand
Content analysis
Computer Vision
Optical Character Recognition
Sender analysis
URL analysis
Brand impersonation: Microsoft with low reputation links
1mo ago
Jun 5th, 2026
Sublime Security
Credential Phishing
Free file host
Image as content
Impersonation: Brand
Social engineering
Computer Vision
Content analysis
File analysis
Header analysis
Natural Language Understanding
Optical Character Recognition
Sender analysis
URL analysis
Brand impersonation: Adobe Acrobat Sign PDF phishing file format template
1mo ago
Jun 1st, 2026
Sublime Security
Credential Phishing
Impersonation: Brand
PDF
Computer Vision
Optical Character Recognition
File analysis
Attachment: Compensation-themed DOCX with QR code credential theft
1mo ago
May 29th, 2026
Sublime Security
Credential Phishing
QR code
Social engineering
Impersonation: Brand
File analysis
Optical Character Recognition
QR code analysis
Natural Language Understanding
Exif analysis
Content analysis
Brand impersonation: Figma with malicious document access overlay
1mo ago
May 27th, 2026
Sublime Security
Credential Phishing
Impersonation: Brand
Social engineering
Image as content
Sender analysis
HTML analysis
URL screenshot
Optical Character Recognition
URL analysis
X (Twitter) impersonation with credential phishing motives
2mo ago
May 15th, 2026
Sublime Security
Credential Phishing
Impersonation: Brand
Social engineering
Computer Vision
File analysis
Header analysis
Optical Character Recognition
Natural Language Understanding
Sender analysis
Page 1 of 4