Your Inbox Got Hacked—Here's What Attackers Do in the First 10 Minutes

The Click Rate Fallacy

For years, companies have measured email security by one metric: how many employees click phishing links. Security teams run simulations, track click rates, and celebrate when numbers drop from 15% to 5%.

But security researchers are now calling this approach fundamentally flawed. The problem? Even a 1% click rate means someone clicked. And in an organization of 1,000 people, that is 10 compromised accounts waiting to happen.

Worse, click rates fluctuate naturally and fail to predict real world impact. A company with a 2% click rate isn't twice as safe as one with 4%—both are equally vulnerable the moment a single employee falls for an attack.

The Numbers Are Staggering

The scale of email based attacks has exploded. According to recent data:

• 78% of organizations experienced an email breach in the past 12 months
• Business email compromise attacks have surged 1,760% year over year
• 20% of companies experience at least one account takeover every month
• The average cost of a successful email compromise is over $125,000
• By mid 2024, an estimated 40% of phishing emails were AI generated

Organizations with 50,000 employees or more have a nearly 100% chance of experiencing at least one business email compromise attack every week. This is not a question of if but when.

What Attackers Do in the First 10 Minutes

Here is what security teams should actually be asking: "If an attacker is in a mailbox right now, what can they do in the next ten minutes—and how quickly can we take that power away?"

Once inside your inbox, attackers work fast:

• Exfiltrate years of sensitive data: Every email, attachment, and file you have ever received is suddenly accessible
• Reset passwords for connected accounts: Your email is the master key to every service that sends "password reset" links
• Set up forwarding rules: 27% of account takeover incidents involve suspicious forwarding rule changes that silently copy all future emails to the attacker
• Impersonate you to colleagues: They can send emails as you, request wire transfers, or phish other employees from a trusted internal address
• Access connected applications: Calendar invites, shared documents, and single sign on integrations all become compromised

Why Multi Factor Authentication Is Not Enough

Many people assume that enabling MFA makes their accounts bulletproof. But security experts warn that multiple pathways bypass multi factor authentication entirely.

Session hijacking, real time phishing proxies, and social engineering attacks targeting MFA codes have all become common. Attackers are not trying to guess your password anymore—they are stealing your active session or tricking you into approving their login attempt.

This does not mean you should disable MFA. It means MFA is one layer of defense, not a complete solution.

The New Metrics That Actually Matter

Security researchers recommend replacing click rates with metrics that measure actual risk:

• Mailbox lootability: How much sensitive content is accessible without additional verification? Years of unencrypted attachments sitting in your inbox represent real exposure.
• Reset path exposure: How many applications can be accessed via email only password resets? Each one is a potential target.
• Time to contain: How quickly can you detect and limit an attacker's actions after a breach? Minutes matter.

How to Protect Yourself

Understanding that breaches are increasingly inevitable changes how you should think about email security:

• Reduce what is in your inbox: Regularly delete old emails with sensitive attachments. What is not there cannot be stolen.
• Audit your connected accounts: Check which services use your email for password resets. Consider using unique email aliases for critical accounts.
• Block tracking before it starts: Spy pixels and click tracking in emails can confirm you are an active target. Gblock blocks these tracking mechanisms, making your inbox less attractive to attackers running reconnaissance.
• Review forwarding rules regularly: Attackers often set up silent forwarding. Check your email settings monthly.
• Use strong, unique passwords everywhere: A password manager makes this practical.

The Containment Mindset

The most important shift in email security is moving from prevention only to prevention plus containment. Assume that eventually, something will get through. The question becomes: what damage can an attacker actually do?

Your email inbox is the master key to your digital life. Every password reset, every connected account, every years old attachment flows through it. Protecting email privacy is not just about blocking spy pixels—it is about understanding your inbox as a high value target and acting accordingly.

Start protecting your inbox today. With Gblock, you take the first step toward making your email a harder target.