Outsmarting SVG Phishing with Votiro: Technology Built to Secure Your Files

Cybercriminals are relentless in their efforts to bypass security measures, constantly innovating to exploit new vulnerabilities. In the past, Word documents and PDFs were among the most abused file types, with attackers embedding malicious macros or scripts to trick users into enabling dangerous content. These familiar threats led to advancements in detection systems tailored specifically to these formats. However, as defenses improved, attackers turned to less scrutinized file types, uncovering new ways to circumvent protective measures. 

One newly discovered file risk is built on XML-based structures, such as Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG). These files are designed to support interactive and dynamic elements, allowing attackers to embed malicious scripts directly into their code. When delivered through phishing emails, these attachments often evade detection systems that focus on more conventional threats. This is why advanced strategies are needed… 

High-level Problems with Phishers Evading Detection 

Traditional defenses often focus on high-profile files like PDFs and Word documents, leaving formats like SVG files overlooked and vulnerable to abuse. This oversight is particularly dangerous as SVG files, with their XML-based structure, can house hidden scripts while presenting users with visually convincing images or forms. These realistic presentations build a false sense of trust, prompting users to engage with malicious content.  

When successful, SVG attacks have severe consequences, from stolen credentials enabling unauthorized access to critical systems to financial losses and reputational damage stemming from exposed data breaches. 

How SVG Files are Used to Evade Detection 

With attackers exploiting less scrutinized formats like SVG files, organizations face a new frontier of challenges. Understanding the high-level problems with these evolving tactics is key to crafting effective defenses. 

Attackers exploit the versatility of SVG files to evade detection by embedding malicious content directly into their XML-based structure. Unlike static image formats, SVG files can incorporate dynamic elements such as JavaScript and HTML, allowing them to function similarly to web pages. This flexibility enables cybercriminals to insert obfuscated code that is challenging for antivirus and email scanners to identify. By leveraging this structure, attackers can bypass traditional defenses that rely on recognizing known malicious patterns, ensuring their phishing attempts reach users’ inboxes undetected. 

A common tactic involves embedding credential phishing forms within the SVG files, cleverly disguising them as legitimate content. These forms often appear as blurred images or overlays, prompting users to log in or verify sensitive information, tricking even cautious individuals. To enhance credibility, attackers may utilize external services to dynamically fetch elements like company logos, making the phishing attempt appear more authentic. By encoding scripts and malicious links in Base64, they further obscure their payloads, ensuring they evade keyword-based scanning tools. 

Why SVG Attacks Continue to Be an Issue 

To fully grasp the risks posed by SVG-based phishing, it’s important to explore how attackers manipulate the unique characteristics of SVG files to bypass traditional detection systems. The growing use of SVG files in phishing campaigns presents unique challenges for detection and prevention. Unlike more commonly abused file types, such as PDFs or Word documents, email filters and antivirus systems often overlook SVG files, allowing malicious attachments to slip through undetected. 

Compounding this issue is the widespread and legitimate adoption of SVG files in web design and communications, which makes outright blocking these file types impractical for many organizations. This creates an exploitable blind spot in email security defenses, giving attackers a significant advantage. 

Beyond the technical challenges, the psychological aspect of these attacks increases their success rate. Users tend to trust image-based attachments, viewing them as harmless, which lowers their guard against suspicious content. Once attackers compromise credentials through these schemes, they can gain unauthorized access to sensitive systems, potentially leading to large-scale breaches, data theft, or ransomware attacks. 

The scalability of SVG-based phishing campaigns further complicates this by enabling attackers to replicate their efforts across thousands of targets with minimal effort, amplifying the potential damage. 

Eliminating Malicious SVG Payloads 

Given the technical and psychological challenges of SVG-based phishing, traditional security measures often fall short. To address these evolving threats, advanced solutions like Content Disarm and Reconstruction (CDR) offer a proactive and effective alternative.  

Unlike traditional defenses such as antivirus (AV) that rely on detecting known malicious patterns, CDR assumes all files coming in via email or other entry points are harmful by default. CDR then neutralizes these threats by systematically deconstructing and rebuilding them before they reach user environments. This process ensures that only verified safe elements are included in the reconstructed file, eliminating hidden risks without relying on signatures or heuristics. 

To help ensure that every file is sanitized, CDR integrates across multiple channels, including email, web uploads, and file transfer protocols, offering comprehensive protection against malicious content regardless of the delivery method. 

Going Beyond Traditional Detection and Reconstruction 

At the heart of advanced CDR technology is a sophisticated file sanitization process designed to neutralize threats while preserving the file’s integrity and usability. When a file is received, CDR technology decomposes it into its individual components, allowing each element to be thoroughly analyzed for potential risks. Malicious or unverified content is removed entirely, and the file is then reconstructed using only known-safe components. This ensures the final file is free from hidden threats while maintaining its original structure and functionality. By addressing potential vulnerabilities at this granular level, CDR provides a more robust and proactive approach than traditional methods, which often rely on detecting known malicious patterns. 

Unlike outdated security practices that quarantine or flatten files—often rendering them unusable—advanced (often referred to as Level 3) CDR preserves critical functionalities such as macros, dynamic content, and formatting. This balance between security and usability ensures users experience minimal workflow disruption. Additionally, CDR eliminates the problem of false positives that plague many detection-based systems, where legitimate files are incorrectly flagged as malicious. This technology reduces friction in business processes by providing a sanitized version of the file that retains full functionality, allowing organizations to maintain productivity without compromising security. 

Augmenting CDR with Antivirus Software 

While CDR offers a proactive solution for neutralizing file-based threats, it is most effective when combined with complementary technologies like AV systems. CDR focuses on disarming threats embedded within files, ensuring only sanitized and safe content is delivered to users. However, AV solutions provide essential protection against other threat vectors, such as malicious executables or software vulnerabilities. Together, CDR and AV form a layered defense, covering a broader range of attack surfaces and providing organizations with a comprehensive security strategy that minimizes gaps in protection. 

Adding to this robust defense is the use of retrospective analytics to enhance CDR. Retrospective analytics periodically reanalyzes sanitized files days or weeks after, allowing organizations to identify undetectable threats during the initial scan. Using this capability, organizations can generate detailed reports on previously neutralized threats, gaining actionable insights that help organizations refine their security strategies and prepare for future risks. 

Safeguard Your Organization Today with Votiro CDR 

Traditional defenses are no longer enough to protect against sophisticated phishing attacks and hidden file-based threats. Votiro’s advanced CDR technology proactively safeguards your organization’s critical assets. By systematically neutralizing threats within files and ensuring only known-safe components are delivered, Votiro provides unparalleled protection against malicious payloads while maintaining the functionality and usability of sanitized files. With seamless integration across multiple channels—email, web uploads, and file transfer protocols—Votiro delivers comprehensive file security without interrupting workflows or compromising productivity. 

Take your security strategy to the next level with Votiro’s Positive Selection® technology and RetroScan capabilities. By proactively disarming threats and providing retrospective analytics, Votiro ensures your organization stays ahead of emerging risks.  

You can always sign up for a one-on-one demo of the platform to learn more about Votiro’s advanced CDR capabilities and how we can keep you compliant with our real-time Data Detection and Response (DDR). You can also try Votiro free for 30 days and see for yourself how Votiro can proactively protect your organization from malicious SVG attacks.