{"id":15378,"date":"2019-03-05T16:20:09","date_gmt":"2019-03-05T16:20:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/business-email-compromise\/"},"modified":"2023-09-02T07:37:05","modified_gmt":"2023-09-02T07:37:05","slug":"business-email-compromise","status":"publish","type":"definition","link":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/33769\/business-email-compromise-bec","title":{"rendered":"Business Email Compromise"},"content":{"rendered":"

What Does Business Email Compromise Mean?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Business email compromise (BEC) is a type of cyberattack that targets corporate employees who are responsible for handling procurement and\/or wire transfers within a specific business division. The goal of this social engineering<\/a> scam is to trick the victim into sending money<\/a> or other high-value business assets to the attacker.<\/p>\n

According to the FBI\u2019s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), BEC attacks are one of the most profitable types of cyberattacks, resulting in the loss of billions of dollars each year domestically and internationally. Businesses that work with foreign suppliers, businesses that regularly transfer money wirelessly, and business that use public cloud<\/a> email services are especially vulnerable to BEC attacks.<\/p>\n

This type of attack is often initiated through a phishing email<\/a> that appears to be legitimate business correspondence. For example, the fraudulent email might contain what looks like a simple address change request from a legitimate business partner. If the change request is accommodated without being verified, however, the victim will end up sending the next financial payment or purchase to a location under the attacker\u2019s control.<\/p>\n

Techopedia Explains Business Email Compromise<\/span><\/h2>\n

BEC attacks are often initiated through spear phishing<\/a> emails that target employees with specific job roles. This type of malicious email is usually well-written and closely resembles normal correspondence specific to the business that is being victimized. Types of known BEC attack vectors<\/a> include:<\/p>\n