The TAP Threats page is designed for investigation by applying structured filters that constrain the dataset by threat category (e.g., phishing), grouping (e.g., campaigns), and threat type (e.g., attachment vs URL). Using the threat filter controls (A) is the most reliable, repeatable method because it leverages the dashboard’s native taxonomy and ensures you are viewing only messages that meet both conditions: campaign association and attachment presence. The Impacted tab (B) is user-impact oriented and does not inherently filter to “phishing campaign + attachment”; it is used after threats are identified to see interactions. The Highlighted tab (D) is focused on notable techniques and analyst-marked items rather than campaign scoping. While the search bar can be useful for pivots, the most “documented workflow” approach for consistent IR triage is applying the built-in threat filters, which also supports sharing consistent views across analysts and generating stable results for incident notes and reporting. This is aligned with Proofpoint IR operational practice: filter → pivot into details → scope recipients → take remediation actions.

TAP is Proofpoint’s detection and analysis layer for advanced email threats, with core capabilities focused on URL-based threats and attachment-based threats. URL Defense (C) rewrites links and performs time-of-click analysis to block newly malicious destinations and provide click telemetry for investigations. Attachment Defense (E) analyzes file payloads (including sandbox/detonation and static reputation approaches depending on configuration) to detect malware and suspicious content that may evade traditional gateway signatures. These two capabilities are central to TAP’s role in detection and analysis: they generate verdicts, campaign clustering, and exposure metrics (Intended/At Risk/Impacted) used by SOC teams to prioritize response. Post-delivery remediation (“pull from inbox” or “remediate post-delivery”) is not TAP’s primary function; that is typically handled by TRAP/Cloud Threat Response capabilities (A/D). User training is handled by Proofpoint Security Awareness/ZenGuide solutions (B), which complement TAP by reducing click rates and improving reporting, but are not TAP threat protection capabilities. TAP’s value in IR is turning email threat content (URLs/attachments) into actionable, scoped, measurable incidents.

Attack Index is intended to quantify user-centric risk by combining the severity of threats a user is exposed to and the diversity of those threats over time (D). This aligns with how IR prioritizes investigations: a user repeatedly targeted by multiple high-severity threat types (credential phishing + impostor/BEC + malware delivery) represents a higher likelihood of compromise and greater operational risk than a user receiving large volumes of low-risk spam. In Proofpoint SOC workflows, Attack Index helps drive proactive actions—focus investigations on “most attacked” users, increase monitoring, enforce stronger controls (MFA, conditional access), and deliver targeted training interventions for users with risky behavior. VIP status can be used for business-impact prioritization, but it is not the defining calculation factor for “threat burden.” Active Directory group membership may be used for segmentation and reporting but is not the core metric component. The concept is to score what the user is facing in terms of threat intensity and breadth, enabling triage on the People page and supporting escalation decisions when high Attack Index correlates with clicks or delivered accessible threats.

Attack Index is a user-level risk/burden metric intended to help SOC teams prioritize which people to investigate first based on the amount and severity/diversity of threat activity directed at them (and often their exposure/interaction, depending on module). The report that directly supports that workflow is “Very Attacked People,” which is designed to surface users with the highest Attack Index and concentration of targeted threats. Operationally, this aligns with IR queue management: instead of treating all alerts equally, analysts use user-centric risk ranking to focus on likely compromise candidates (e.g., frequent recipients of credential phishing, repeated exposure to the same campaign, or elevated threat severity). “Top 10 Recipients” is volume-oriented and may include benign bulk mail; “Top 10 Clickers” is behavior-oriented but does not necessarily reflect overall threat burden; and “VIP Activity” is scoped to a subset (VIPs) rather than the complete organization’s risk ranking. In Proofpoint-led IR best practice, this report is commonly used to drive daily standups, assign investigations, and justify proactive account checks (MFA posture, suspicious logins, mailbox rules) for the highest-risk users.

Emails submitted through ZenGuide “Report Suspicious” (PhishAlarm) enter a workflow where Proofpoint performs analysis and can apply an analyst-driven verdict, commonly reflected as a “Proofpoint Threat Analyst” condemnation. This matters in IR because user-reported messages are a major signal source for early detection—often before automated detections fully classify a campaign, especially for fast-flux phishing infrastructure or novel lures. Proofpoint’s analyst verdict provides a higher-confidence classification that can drive downstream actions such as campaign correlation, threat labeling, and remediation recommendations (blocking URLs/domains, searching for related messages, and pulling delivered copies via TRAP/Cloud Threat Response). In a SOC workflow, the condemnation source is important for auditability: it clarifies whether the disposition came from automated engines (sandbox/reputation), a customer policy, end-user feedback alone, or Proofpoint human analysis. Treating these submissions properly improves detection coverage and reduces dwell time because a single user report can trigger organization-wide scoping and cleanup. It also supports post-incident improvement by identifying detection gaps (why it wasn’t auto-detected sooner) and tuning controls to catch similar messages earlier in the delivery pipeline.