Skip to content

Phishing Campaigns

Phishing frameworks like Gophish and Hunter enable red teams to automate the creation, deployment, and analysis of phishing campaigns. These tools streamline the process of crafting convincing messages, tracking user interactions, and refining tactics based on real-world data. Below, we explore their core capabilities and how they integrate into a structured phishing operation.

Gophish: Phishing Campaign Automation

Gophish is an open-source tool that combines a web server for hosting phishing pages with an email-sending module for distributing malicious links. It supports tracking metrics like click-through rates and form submissions, making it ideal for iterative testing.

Basic Setup

Install Gophish via Go:

go get github.com/lxc/gophish
Start the server:
gophish serve

Campaign Design Example

Create a phishing template (e.g., a login page) and configure the email payload:

gophish campaign create --name "Finance Login" \
  --template "login.html" \
  --email "finance@target.com" \
  --subject "Verify Your Account"
Use the Gophish CLI to send emails and monitor results:
gophish campaign send --id "campaign-123"

Hunter: Email Validation and List Generation

Hunter is a commercial tool that leverages OSINT to validate email addresses and generate lists of potential targets. Its API can be used to verify email formats, check domain validity, and extract contact information from public sources.

Email Validation Example

Validate a list of emails using Hunter's API:

curl -X POST https://api.hunter.io/v2/email-verifier \
  -d "email=info@targetcorp.com" \
  -H "Authorization: YOUR_API_KEY"
Response includes validity status, domain reputation, and disposable flag.

Generating Target Lists

Use Hunter's API to search for emails associated with a domain:

curl -X GET "https://api.hunter.io/v2/domain-search?domain=targetcorp.com" \
  -H "Authorization: YOUR_API_KEY"
This provides a list of potential email addresses for targeting.

Campaign Design Principles

  1. Target Research: Use Hunter to identify valid email addresses and tailor messages to specific roles (e.g., "IT Support" vs. "Finance").
  2. Message Customization: Personalize subject lines and content using placeholders (e.g., {{name}} in Gophish templates).
  3. Bait Optimization: Host phishing pages on subdomains or mimic legitimate sites to increase engagement.

Deployment and Analysis

  • Deployment: Combine Gophish's web server with Hunter's validated email lists to automate campaign execution.
  • Analysis: Monitor Gophish's dashboard for metrics like click rates and form submissions. Cross-reference data with Hunter's reports to refine tactics.

Key Takeaways

  • Gophish automates phishing page hosting, email distribution, and tracking.
  • Hunter enhances targeting accuracy through email validation and OSINT-driven list generation.
  • Campaigns should prioritize personalization, realistic bait, and iterative refinement based on analytics.
  • Always ensure compliance with legal and ethical guidelines during testing.