DMARC enforcement best practices: Moving from ‘none’ to ‘reject’
by DuoCircle
It’s 2026, and email-based attacks remain one of the major concerns for organizations. It opens the door to sophisticated attacks such as phishing, brand impersonation, and business email compromise. This means cursory checks are no longer enough.
In the ever-evolving landscape of email security, Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is a cornerstone protocol for authenticating emails, defending against spoofing, and enhancing email deliverability.
This week’s cybersecurity news highlights how trust-based digital systems continue to be exploited across crypto platforms, browser ecosystems, and online marketplaces. Trust Wallet disclosed a major supply-chain attack that led to millions in stolen crypto, while researchers uncovered a long-running browser extension campaign tied to corporate espionage.
Email continues to be an essential tool for business communication, yet it faces significant risks from spoofing and phishing threats. Insights from DMARC testing enable organizations to assess the effectiveness of their email authentication and identify potential weaknesses, positioning DMARC as an essential component in safeguarding both incoming and outgoing communications.
Grasping and analyzing a DMARC report is crucial for safeguarding your domain against phishing and spoofing threats. Such a report provides valuable insights into the status of your email authentication, revealing how well your domain adheres to DMARC, SPF, and DKIM protocols.
How to solve the “550 5.7.0 Local Policy Violation” error
by DuoCircle
Maintaining a decent email deliverability rate is what most organizations struggle with, especially if they send bulk emails. Fixing the problem isn’t even the hardest part; the most difficult thing is identifying the root cause.
In today’s interconnected email ecosystem, ensuring effective email deliverability and robust email security is paramount for organizations and domain owners. The Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) framework provides a trusted solution to combat spoofing, phishing, and malicious actors by enabling organizations to implement advanced email authentication protocols.
Cyber incidents this week ranged from large-scale scraping to high-impact software and supply chain risks. An activist group claims to have scraped tens of millions of tracks from a major streaming platform, raising fresh copyright concerns. Separately, a critical n8n flaw could allow code execution on exposed instances. Other reports covered a notarized macOS stealer campaign, a GitLab breach impacting a car maker’s customers, and malicious Chrome extensions abusing proxy access to steal credentials.
Understanding SMTP Mail Servers and Their Role in Email Delivery
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) servers form the backbone of global email communication. These servers facilitate the sending, relay, and final delivery of emails between email clients and servers across the internet. Whether you rely on a free SMTP server for personal use or integrate an advanced SMTP service in enterprise email marketing, the SMTP server determines how efficiently and securely your email messages reach recipients.
No matter how advanced technology has become, email is still the backbone of business communication. That’s precisely why it is one of the most targeted and abused attack surfaces online. For any business organization, it is important to understand that poor email deliverability, phishing, and domain impersonation — all these issues stem from one major problem: an unhealthy email ecosystem.
DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) is an essential standard for safeguarding domain names, bolstering email authentication, and preserving your organization’s sender reputation. As threats like email spoofing, phishing, and other malicious activities grow increasingly sophisticated, maintaining a rigorous DKIM check process and routinely performing a DKIM record test have become integral best practices for any outbound email infrastructure.
For businesses that rely on prompt communication with clients, partners, and internal teams, dependable email delivery is essential. However, numerous organizations still use the default email servers provided by web hosting companies or ISPs, leading to challenges such as low deliverability rates, spam filtering issues, restricted sending limits, and limited insight into email performance. As inbox providers enhance their authentication and security protocols, these drawbacks can harm both brand reputation and customer confidence.
The psychology of phishing: why smart people still fall for scams
by DuoCircle
You think you might know it all about the latest cyber scam trends, what to do when one strikes your organization, and how to evade them, so an attacker can never get to you.
Cybersecurity and email security teams faced a busy week as active exploitation targeted core infrastructure and widely used platforms. Cisco warned of a critical AsyncOS zero-day affecting Secure Email appliances, while SonicWall patched an SMA 100 flaw reportedly chained for root-level takeover. HPE fixed a maximum-severity OneView RCE issue. SoundCloud also confirmed a breach exposing user emails and profile data, alongside outages, VPN blocks, and follow-on disruption.
In the current digital environment, email continues to be a crucial means of communication for companies, while also being a prime target for cybercriminals. As phishing schemes, spoofing, and domain impersonation increase, it’s essential to prioritize the protection of your email systems. This is where the new advancements in DMARC Wizard come into play — robust tools aimed at enhancing and streamlining your email authentication process.
As you know, DNS is the foundation of your brand’s digital presence, so if anything goes wrong with the DNS or worse, if attackers manage to exploit its vulnerabilities, your entire online presence is put at stake.
Implementing DMARC setup is a key strategy to prevent email abuse, enhance deliverability, and protect your organization’s reputation. Understanding and deploying DMARC, SPF, and DKIM are essential for securing your domain, reducing authentication gaps, and ensuring compliance with modern email authentication standards used by services like Yahoo, Gmail, and Google.
The Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is the foundational communication protocol for sending electronic mail across the Internet. Developed by the Internet Network Working Group and standardized in multiple key RFCs—most notably RFC 5321—SMTP governs the process of email transmission between email clients, mail servers, and intermediary systems. As digital communication has become ubiquitous, SMTP’s importance in ensuring the reliable delivery of electronic messages cannot be overstated.
Is p=reject the ultimate DMARC policy? 5 situations in which you should implement it
by DuoCircle
Out of the three DMARC policies—“p=none”, “p=quarantine”, and “p=reject” each serves a different purpose and provides a different level of security. But when it comes to actively blocking emails that attempt to spoof your domain, the strictest policy, “p=reject,” is the best choice.
Selecting the right web-based email server is foundational for both businesses and individuals who rely on secure, efficient, and reliable email communication. Whether you need a robust business email solution, secure email for personal use, or scalable webmail for your growing team, examining the essential features is crucial.