Emails Are Responsible for 88% of Malicious File Deliveries

Check Point’s 2024 report highlights that email remains the primary vector for malicious file delivery (88%), with a sharp pivot from Office macro-based documents to HTML attachments (69%) used for phishing, HTML smuggling, and embedded scripts/exploits; attackers also increasingly rely on password-protected archives and formats like IMG/ISO to evade scanning and weaken Mark-of-the-Web protections due to inconsistent vendor implementations (e.g., 7‑Zip opt-in), suggesting organizations should restrict email-delivered HTML and tighten archive handling policies.