Business Email Compromise (BEC): How It Works, Why It Succeeds & What Breaks
Business Email Compromise is often discussed as an email security problem. Something to be solved with better filters, stronger phishing detection, or tighter domain controls. That framing misses the real issue. BEC succeeds because businesses treat email identity as a trusted signal for decision-making. A familiar name implies authority. A known role implies intent. Once those assumptions are accepted, attackers no longer need malware or technical exploits to cause real damage.