Which email security feature protects users from phishing attempts?

Anti-malware file scanning primarily detects and blocks attachments with known malicious code, but many phishing attacks rely on social engineering or malicious links without file attachments.

Intrusion prevention systems (IPS) primarily detect and block network-level attacks and anomalies, which is distinct from protecting against email-borne phishing attempts.

Reputation-based filtering protects against phishing by evaluating the reputation scores of sender IP addresses, domains, and URLs found in emails. It blocks or flags emails from sources known for malicious activities, thereby preventing phishing attempts from reaching users' inboxes.

Malicious signature detection identifies known malware based on specific patterns, which is effective against known threats but often bypasses sophisticated phishing attempts that don't rely on traditional malware signatures.