The use of emails has always been increasing ever since its inception in the 1960s. Business communication, circulation of academic information, conveying personal information – almost everything is passed on between individuals or organizations via emails mainly for either or all of the following reasons:
Emails are faster.
Emails are reliable.
Emails ensure that the information reaches the end recipient and, if not, notifies the sender about it.
There is no scope of data loss with emails.
Emails are an excellent means of recording information chronologically.
On the surface, there is nothing to be concerned about in email communication. The accounts of both the sender and the receiver are self-operated and locked by passwords which only both of these parties know. However, with the advancement of useful technology occurs an equal (if not higher) rise in technology which brings vicious attackers and hackers into the picture.
What Is Phishing?
Phishing attacks are just like fishing in a river where a person tries to get hold of a fish by giving it a believable bait of a bread crumb or any similar bit of food. However, in phishing attacks, the fishes are the netizens, and the fishermen are the cyber attackers. Phishing attacks are most commonly circulated via email messages. In such attacks, an unexpected mail from a seemingly credible source asks the receiver to take specific immediate action (such as paying unpaid dues or claiming a reward) by clicking on an attached link or downloading a file. But these are impersonating emails taking the user to fake websites created by the attacker. And often, these install malware into the computers of users. These attacks also happen in other forms like through voice messages (Vishing), SMS frauds (Smishing), attacks targeting the big shots of an organization from whom the profits can be maximum (Whaling) or creating a replica of a website to win the trust of an unsuspecting user (Pharming).
What Is Malware?
Malware is another means used by attackers to install corrupt files and software into the computer systems of users without their permission or against their will. Often malware operates secretly and steals the private information of users without their knowledge. This information is then accessed by the attacker who either uses the data to blackmail the victim, launch a sextortion campaign, or sell the stolen details at a high price in the dark market. Its types include:
Ransomware – which locks the system of the user or encrypts files until the demanded ransom is paid.
Spyware – which launches spying software into the computer and steals data.
Scareware – which attempts to extract user information by instilling fear in them.
Adware – where malware gets downloaded via attacker-created fake advertisements.
What Is Email Security?
Email security is the process of shielding email accounts from the attacks of vicious hackers. It refers to the means employed by a user, an organization, or an information network to keep themselves secure from these phishing attempts and malware attacks.
How To Ensure Email Security?
Email security can never be a fool-proof plan as the attackers always manage to find some loophole even in the most sophisticated methods of protection. However, minimizing such attacks is the objective, and this can be achieved by adopting the following measures:
Setting strong passwords: Strong passwords with alphanumeric characters and symbols are highly recommended. It’s always more important to have secure passwords instead of easy to remember passwords.
Changing passwords from time to time: Using the same password for too long makes you more vulnerable to hacking attempts of attackers. Hence it is always advisable to change passwords from time to time. Also, having different passwords for different accounts is a smarter decision than otherwise.
Having a good antivirus installed: Antivirus software creates a layer of protection against all types of viruses and malware trying to attack your devices. It is a must to have an antivirus when you visit multiple websites on the Internet or install external devices and disks into your computer.
Having anti-spam filters: Anti-spam filters ensure that spam emails or messages do not show up in your mailbox, thus protecting your system from the malicious emails sent by attackers. It also saves you a lot of time and energy that gets wasted otherwise in opening those emails.
Using only updated software: Software developers update software from time to time to incorporate patches and other improvements to make the software secure and more efficient. Not updating one’s software to the latest version is sending an invitation to attackers to steal your files.
Being wise on the web: With everything said and done, the most frugal tip remaining is to be careful on the Internet. One must have a skeptical mind and halt before impulsively clicking on links and pop-ups. A click takes hardly a second, but often its after-effects cost millions of dollars!
Since one cannot do away with emails, one needs to find ways and means of doing away with the threats to email security. Protecting yourselves on the web is not easy but also not unachievable. Taking specific preventive measures goes a long way in keeping attackers and malware away.
Email phishing has come a long way from the poorly written scam messages we used to ignore. A few years ago, spotting a phishing email was simple. Misspelled words, strange sender names, and generic greetings were dead giveaways. Most spam filters caught them before they reached your inbox.
A disciplined approach to DKIM across subdomains is one of the highest‑impact ways to strengthen email authentication and protect domain reputation. In line with RFC 6376, DKIM uses a public/private key pair to digitally sign selected header fields so a receiving server can verify message signature integrity and detect message alteration in transit.
Email rejections can silently undermine your campaigns, even when your content is top-notch. A frequent issue is an inadequately set up SPF record. As email service providers enhance their authentication requirements, a basic SPF configuration isn’t sufficient to ensure your emails land in inboxes or are successfully delivered.
Email spoofing and phishing pose significant risks to businesses, regardless of their size. Implementing a DMARC reject policy is crucial for safeguarding your domain, enhancing email credibility, and making sure only legitimate messages are delivered to inboxes.
If not addressed, SPF permerrors can disrupt your email authentication and negatively impact your deliverability. Common issues, such as DNS misconfigurations and syntax errors, can usually be resolved easily if you know what to search for.
A disciplined DKIM key rotation program protects DomainKeys Identified Mail at scale without interrupting mail flow or risking broken signatures. The first four steps below establish a zero-downtime foundation by auditing your current posture, setting a selector strategy, creating strong DKIM keys, and publishing the new DKIM record safely.
A rigorous DKIM troubleshooting workflow helps you isolate and remediate the exact cause of a DKIM fail before it cascades into deliverability issues or mail server rejection.
Email authentication can feel deceptively simple—until SPF records start failing and legitimate messages land in spam. One of the most common and frustrating causes is the SPF 10 DNS lookup limit, a technical restriction that many organizations hit as they add third-party email services.
Email authentication is fundamental to achieving secure and dependable email delivery, with DKIM being a key factor in verifying the authenticity and integrity of your communications. However, merely implementing DKIM is insufficient — ineffective selector management can compromise security, lead to verification errors, and damage your sender reputation.
The success of email delivery is largely influenced by effective domain authentication, with a crucial aspect often neglected being the SPF void lookup. When an email server assesses a domain’s Sender Policy Framework (SPF) record, it conducts DNS lookups to confirm that the sending source is permitted. If these lookups fail or yield no results, they are categorized as “void lookups,” which can undermine the strength of your domain’s authentication.
The sophistication of email threats is increasing, complicating the ability of businesses to safeguard their domains and reputation. DMARC XML reports provide essential information regarding entities sending emails on your behalf; however, the raw data can be intricate and challenging to analyze.(more…)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) is a well-established email authentication protocol designed to help organizations defend against email spoofing, phishing attacks, and business email compromise (BEC). When implemented correctly, DKIM authentication allows the recipient’s email server to verify that a signed email has genuinely originated from the stated domain and that its message content has not been tampered with during transit.