It takes just one email to compromise an entire system. A single well-crafted message can bypass filters, trick employees, and give attackers the access they need. Left undetected, these threats can lead to credential theft, unauthorized access, and even full-scale breaches. As phishing techniques become more evasive, they can no longer be reliably caught by automated solutions alone.
Let’s take a closer look at how SOC teams can ensure fast, accurate detection of even the most evasive phishing attacks, using the example of Tycoon2FA, the number one phishing threat in the corporate environment today.
Step 1: Upload a suspicious file or URL to the sandbox
Let’s consider a typical situation: a suspicious email gets flagged by your detection system, but it’s unclear whether it’s indeed malicious.
The fastest way to check it is to run a quick analysis inside a malware sandbox.
A sandbox is an isolated virtual machine where you can safely open files, click links, and observe behavior without putting your own system at risk. It’s how SOC analysts investigate malware, phishing attempts, and suspicious activity without triggering anything locally.
Getting started is easy. Upload the file or paste a URL, pick your OS (Windows, Linux, or Android), tweak your settings if needed, and within seconds, you’re inside a fully interactive virtual machine ready to investigate.
 |
| Analysis setup inside ANY.RUN sandbox |
To show how easy it is to detect phishing, let’s walk through a real-world example, a potential phishing email we analyzed using ANY.RUN, is one of the fastest and most intuitive sandboxes available.
 |
| Phishing email analyzed inside cloud-based ANY.RUN sandbox |
The suspicious email includes a large green “Play Audio” button, a trick used to lure the victim into clicking.
Equip your SOC team with a fast and in-depth phishing analysis service to respond to and prevent incidents in seconds.
Step 2: Detonate the Full Attack Chain
With the help of sandboxes like ANY.RUN, it’s possible to detonate every single stage of an attack, from the first click to the final payload. Even junior SOC members can do it with ease. The interface is intuitive, interactive, and built to make complex analysis feel simple.
In our phishing example, we’ve already seen how the attack begins; a suspicious email with a big green “Play Audio” button buried in a thread. But what happens after the click?
Inside the sandbox session, we see it clearly:
As soon as the button is pressed, a series of redirects (another evasion tactic) eventually lead us to a page with a CAPTCHA challenge. This is where automated tools typically fail. They can’t click buttons, solve CAPTCHAs, or mimic user behavior, so they often miss the real threat.
But in ANY.RUN’s Interactive Sandbox, isn’t a problem. You can either solve the CAPTCHA manually or enable the auto mode to let the sandbox handle it for you. In both cases, the analysis continues smoothly, allowing you to reach the final phishing page and observe the full attack chain.
 |
| CAPTCHA challenge solved inside the interactive sandbox |
Once the CAPTCHA is solved, we’re redirected to a fake Microsoft login page. At first glance, it looks convincing, but a closer look reveals the truth:
- The URL is clearly unrelated to Microsoft, full of random characters
- The favicon (browser tab icon) is missing; a small but telling red flag
 |
| Phishing signs detected inside ANY.RUN sandbox |
Without the Interactive Sandbox, these details would remain hidden. But here, every move is visible, every step traceable, making it easier to detect phishing infrastructure before it tricks someone inside your organization.
If left undetected, the victim may unknowingly enter their credentials into the fake login page, handing sensitive access directly to the attacker.
By making sandbox analysis part of your security routine, your team can check suspicious links or files in seconds. In most cases, ANY.RUN provides an initial verdict in under 40 seconds.
Step 3: Analyze and Collect IOCs
Once the phishing chain is fully detonated, the next step is what matters most to security teams; gathering indicators of compromise (IOCs) that can be used for detection, response, and future prevention.
Solutions like ANY.RUN makes this process fast and centralized. Here are some of the key findings from our phishing sample:
In the top-right corner, we see the process tree, which helps us trace suspicious behavior. One process stands out; it’s labeled “Phishing”, showing exactly where the malicious activity occurred.
 |
| Malicious process identified by sandbox |
Below the VM window, in the Network connections tab, we can inspect all HTTP/HTTPS requests. This reveals the external infrastructure used in the attack: domains, IPs, and more.
In the Threats section, we see a Suricata alert: PHISHING [ANY.RUN] Suspected Tycoon2FA’s Phishing-Kit Domain. This confirms the phishing kit used and adds useful context for threat classification.
 |
| Suricata rule triggered by Tycoon2FA |
In the top panel, the tags instantly identify it as a Tycoon2FA-related threat, so analysts know what they’re dealing with at a glance.
 |
| Tycoon detected by ANY.RUN sandbox |
Need to see all IOCs in one place? Just click the IOC button, and you’ll get a full list of domains, hashes, URLs, and more. No need to jump between tools or gather data manually.
These IOCs can then be used to:
- Block malicious domains across your infrastructure
- Update email filters and detection rules
- Enrich your threat intelligence database
- Support incident response and SOC workflows
 |
| IOCs gathered inside ANY.RUN sandbox |
Finally, ANY.RUN generates a well-structured, shareable report that includes all key details, from behavior logs and network traffic to screenshots and IOCs.
This report is perfect for documentation, team handoff, or sharing with external stakeholders, saving valuable time during response.
 |
| Well-structured report generated by an interactive sandbox |
Why Sandboxing Should Be Part of Your Security Workflow
Interactive sandboxing helps teams cut through the noise, exposing real threats quickly and making incident response more efficient.
Solutions like ANY.RUN makes this process accessible to both experienced teams and those just starting to build up threat detection capabilities:
- Speed Up Alert Triage and Incident Response: Don’t wait for verdict, see threat behavior live for faster decisions.
- Increase Detection Rate: Trace multi-stage attacks from origin to execution in detail.
- Improve Training: Analysts work with live threats, gaining practical experience.
- Boost Team Coordination: Real-time data sharing and process monitoring across team members.
- Reduce Infrastructure Maintenance: Cloud-based sandbox requires no setup; analyze anywhere, anytime.
Special Offer: From May 19 to May 31, 2025, ANY.RUN is celebrating its 9th birthday with exclusive offers.
Equip your team with extra sandbox licenses and grab limited-time offers across their Sandbox, TI Lookup, and Security Training Lab.
Learn more about ANY.RUN’s Birthday special offers→
Wrapping Up
Phishing attacks are getting smarter but detecting them doesn’t have to be hard. With interactive sandboxing, you can spot threats early, trace the full attack chain, and collect all the evidence your team needs to respond quickly and confidently.