# Spam vs phishing > Spam vs phishing: spam is unsolicited bulk email, while phishing uses deception to obtain data or prompt harmful action. Learn the overlap and response. Spam is unsolicited bulk messaging. Phishing is deceptive fraud that tries to obtain sensitive information or induce a harmful action. A message can be both: a criminal can send the same deceptive login request to many recipients. Treat the message as phishing when it asks you to trust a false identity, disclose information, open something unsafe, or take an urgent action. ## Quick takeaways - Spam describes unsolicited bulk delivery, while phishing describes deceptive intent. - A bulk phishing campaign can be both spam and phishing. - A suspicious message does not become safe because it looks like ordinary junk mail. - Spoofing is the use of a false identity or address. It can support phishing, but it is not the same classification. - Do not click links, open unexpected attachments, or reply with requested information when a message may be phishing. - A public DNS check can assess a domain's published controls, but it cannot classify one delivered message. ## How spam and phishing differ [NIST defines spam](https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/spam) as electronic junk mail or abuse of electronic messaging systems to send unsolicited bulk messages indiscriminately. The delivery pattern is central: messages are sent at scale without the recipient asking for them. [NIST defines phishing](https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/phishing) as a technique that uses a fraudulent solicitation to acquire sensitive data, often by masquerading as a legitimate business or person. The central question is intent and deception: does the message try to make the recipient disclose information, sign in to a false site, send money, or perform another unsafe action? That distinction gives each term a different job: - Spam describes how unsolicited messages are distributed. - Phishing describes a deceptive attempt to obtain information or cause an action. - [Spam email and prevention](/learning/what-is-spam-email-and-how-to-prevent-it) covers the broader unwanted-email problem. - [Phishing](/learning/what-is-phishing) covers the fraudulent technique and its common forms. A forged sender name or address can make a message more convincing, but a forged identity is [spoofing](/learning/what-is-spoofing). It is evidence worth investigating, not a substitute for judging the message's request and destination. ## When the classification changes Use the message's purpose before its volume as the decision rule. - If an unsolicited message promotes something without trying to deceive you into an unsafe action, classify it as spam. - If it pretends to be a trusted party and asks for credentials, payment, sensitive data, or a risky action, classify it as phishing. - If the same deceptive message is sent indiscriminately to many recipients, it is both spam and phishing. This is an inference from the NIST definitions of unsolicited bulk messaging and deceptive solicitation. - If the message claims to be from a known organization, verify the request through a trusted channel you already use. Do not use the phone number, link, or reply address supplied by the message. > A message that appears routine can still be phishing. Do not treat a deceptive request as ordinary junk mail just because it arrived in bulk. The [Federal Trade Commission's phishing guidance](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams) recommends avoiding unexpected links and attachments, then reporting suspected phishing through the appropriate reporting channel. Your organization's security-reporting process determines where to send the message internally. ## A classification rule for a suspicious email Apply this rule before deciding whether to dismiss, report, or investigate the message: ```text Illustrative classification rule Unsolicited bulk promotion with no deceptive request = spam False or misleading identity plus a request for credentials, money, sensitive information, a link click, attachment opening, or urgent action = phishing Deceptive request sent indiscriminately to many recipients = spam and phishing ``` The rule does not require proving who sent the message. It classifies the observable risk to the recipient. ![Decision flow distinguishing unsolicited bulk spam, deceptive phishing, and bulk phishing that fits both categories](/images/editorial/spam-vs-phishing/spam-vs-phishing-classification-flow.webp "1200x676") *Source: Palisade.* A message can also pass some technical checks and still be dangerous. SPF and DKIM indicate authentication results for a sending path. They do not prove that the content, linked destination, or requested action is legitimate. See [why phishing emails can pass SPF and DKIM](/learning/why-do-phishing-emails-pass-spf-and-dkim) for that boundary. ## What to do with the evidence you have If you have only the message, do not interact with its links, attachments, or requested payment or sign-in flow. Report it through the mailbox provider or your organization's security path, then preserve only the redacted evidence your security team requests. The FTC also advises reporting phishing rather than replying to the sender. If you manage the domain that appears in the message, separate the message investigation from the domain-control check. A public DNS check can show whether the domain publishes email-authentication records. It cannot determine whether this particular message was phishing, inspect its headers or links, or show why a receiving system handled it a certain way. ## Check the public email controls for a domain you manage If the suspicious message uses a domain your team manages, inspect its published DNS-based email controls with the Email Security Score. [Check the domain's email security score](/tools/email-security-score) This public DNS check cannot classify an individual message as spam or phishing, inspect message headers or links, prove sender intent, or establish a receiver's handling decision. ## Sources and further reading - [NIST CSRC glossary: spam](https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/spam) - [NIST CSRC glossary: phishing](https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/phishing) - [Federal Trade Commission: how to recognize and avoid phishing scams](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams) - [Palisade Email Security Score](/tools/email-security-score) ## Frequently asked questions ### Should you mark a phishing email as spam? No. Use your organization's phishing-reporting process or the reporting option provided by your mailbox service. Marking it as junk may reduce future delivery, but phishing also needs the security path because it may target other recipients or imitate a trusted identity. ### What are the 4 P's of phishing? No universal security standard defines four P's of phishing. Training programs use different mnemonics, so do not rely on a numbered label to classify a message. Check for a deceptive identity and a request for information, payment, a click, an attachment opening, or another unsafe action. ### What are the 4 types of phishing? No single official set of four types applies to every phishing classification. Descriptions can group attacks by channel, target, or technique. The reliable classification rule is whether the communication uses deception to obtain sensitive information or induce a harmful action. ### How to tell if an email is spam or phishing? Classify it by purpose. An unsolicited bulk promotion is spam. A message that impersonates a trusted party or uses a misleading request to obtain credentials, money, sensitive data, or an unsafe action is phishing. A message can fit both categories when a deceptive campaign is sent in bulk. ### Is phishing a type of spam? Only sometimes. Phishing is defined by deception, while spam is defined by unsolicited bulk delivery. A targeted phishing message sent to one person may not be spam. An indiscriminate phishing campaign can be both. ### Can spam filters stop phishing? No. Filters can reduce unwanted messages, but they cannot prove that every deceptive email will be blocked or that every delivered message is legitimate. Treat suspicious requests carefully and use the reporting process available to your organization.