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
Spam
Extortion
Callback Phishing
Malware/Ransomware
Tactics & Techniques (15):
Impersonation: Brand
Social engineering
Spoofing
Out of band pivot
PDF
Evasion
Free email provider
Free file host
Free subdomain host
Macros
Image as content
Open redirect
QR code
Encryption
Impersonation: VIP
Rule Name & Severity
Last Updated
Author
Types, Tactics & Capabilities
Brand impersonation: SendGrid
5d ago
Aug 7th, 2026
Sublime Security
BEC/Fraud
Credential Phishing
Spam
Impersonation: Brand
Social engineering
Content analysis
Header analysis
Natural Language Understanding
Optical Character Recognition
Sender analysis
Extortion / sextortion in attachment from untrusted sender
6d ago
Aug 6th, 2026
Sublime Security
Extortion
Social engineering
Spoofing
Computer Vision
Content analysis
File analysis
Natural Language Understanding
Optical Character Recognition
Sender analysis
Callback phishing in body or attachment (untrusted sender)
7d ago
Aug 5th, 2026
Sublime Security
Callback Phishing
Out of band pivot
Social engineering
Content analysis
File analysis
Optical Character Recognition
Natural Language Understanding
Sender analysis
Link: QuickBooks image lure with suspicious link
14d ago
Jul 29th, 2026
Sublime Security
Credential Phishing
Impersonation: Brand
Social engineering
Computer Vision
File analysis
Optical Character Recognition
URL analysis
Attachment: Fictitious invoice using LinkedIn's address
14d ago
Jul 29th, 2026
Sublime Security
BEC/Fraud
PDF
Social engineering
File analysis
Optical Character Recognition
Natural Language Understanding
Content analysis
Exif analysis
Brand Impersonation: Shein
16d ago
Jul 27th, 2026
Sublime Security
Credential Phishing
Spam
Impersonation: Brand
Social engineering
Computer Vision
Content analysis
Header analysis
Natural Language Understanding
Optical Character Recognition
Sender analysis
Brand impersonation: TikTok
16d ago
Jul 27th, 2026
Sublime Security
Credential Phishing
Impersonation: Brand
Social engineering
Computer Vision
Content analysis
Header analysis
Natural Language Understanding
Optical Character Recognition
Sender analysis
Brand impersonation: Internal Revenue Service
16d ago
Jul 27th, 2026
Sublime Security
BEC/Fraud
Credential Phishing
Impersonation: Brand
Social engineering
Content analysis
Natural Language Understanding
Optical Character Recognition
Sender analysis
Attachment: Callback phishing solicitation via pdf file
16d ago
Jul 27th, 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
Brand impersonation: Square
16d ago
Jul 27th, 2026
Sublime Security
Credential Phishing
Impersonation: Brand
Social engineering
Computer Vision
Content analysis
Header analysis
Natural Language Understanding
Optical Character Recognition
Sender analysis
Attachment: EML with link to credential phishing page
16d ago
Jul 27th, 2026
Sublime Security
Credential Phishing
Evasion
Free file host
Free subdomain host
Social engineering
Computer Vision
Content analysis
File analysis
Header analysis
HTML analysis
Natural Language Understanding
Optical Character Recognition
URL analysis
URL screenshot
Attachment: Microsoft 365 credential phishing
16d ago
Jul 27th, 2026
Sublime Security
Credential Phishing
Impersonation: Brand
Social engineering
Content analysis
File analysis
Header analysis
Optical Character Recognition
Sender analysis
Brand impersonation: Amazon Web Services (AWS)
16d ago
Jul 27th, 2026
Sublime Security
Credential Phishing
Impersonation: Brand
Social engineering
Content analysis
Header analysis
Optical Character Recognition
Sender analysis
Natural Language Understanding
Attachment: Microsoft SharePoint Impersonation via images in macro-enabled attachment
27d ago
Jul 16th, 2026
Sublime Security
Credential Phishing
Impersonation: Brand
Macros
Image as content
Social engineering
File analysis
Macro analysis
Optical Character Recognition
Link: Multistage landing - Abused Adobe Acrobat hosted PDF
29d ago
Jul 14th, 2026
Sublime Security
Credential Phishing
Impersonation: Brand
Social engineering
Computer Vision
Optical Character Recognition
URL analysis
Header analysis
Sender analysis
Attachment: Suspicious PDF created with headless browser
1mo 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
1mo 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
1mo 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
1mo 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
1mo ago
Jun 25th, 2026
Sublime Security
BEC/Fraud
Impersonation: Brand
PDF
Social engineering
Image as content
Optical Character Recognition
File analysis
Content analysis
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