While certain identity management methods have advanced, such as multi-factor authentication, others, such as email authentication, have stayed stuck in the 1990s. Despite this, email is still one of the most widely used ways of communication for both professional and personal purposes. This makes it a target for cybercriminals who frequently execute phishing attacks via email. DMARC is a protocol that assists companies in protecting themselves by authenticating email senders. It's similar to a domain identity check for your company.
What
is It?
DMARC is a protocol for email
authentication, policy, and reporting. By confirming the sender's identity, DMARC
identifies fake phishing emails from hackers. Senders can use DMARC to
demonstrate that their messages are protected, and recipients can learn what to
do if an authentication mechanism fails. It was founded in 2012 with the goal
of combating email fraud and providing authentication reporting. Gmail,
Facebook, and Microsoft are among the main businesses and websites that use it
today.
How
DMARC Works
A DMARC policy allows senders to
declare that their email communications are protected, and it advises
recipients what to do if authentication fails (such as reject the message or
send it to the "junk" folder). In technical terms, DMARC employs SPF and DKIM to verify an email message's identity. The system then applies
a set of criteria to deliver "validated" communications while
rejecting or quarantining "spoofed" messages. This reduces the
quantity of potentially harmful communications (phishing, spoofing, spam) that
reach your mailbox. According to the Global Cyber Alliance, DMARC standards
presently safeguard over 4.8 billion inboxes around the world.
Cybersecurity
benefits of DMARC
A DMARC policy protects against direct
domain spoofing, which is a typical phishing attack vector. It cannot, however,
prevent all sorts of phishing attempts, such as cousin domain attacks
(c1security.org vs cisecurity.org, for example) or display name abuse.
• Brand protection, by stopping
spammers and phishers from using legitimate company names
• Improving the delivery of legitimate
messages
• Visibility, thanks to notifications
that detail illegitimate systems sending email from the company's domain.
Getting
started with DMARC
To ensure that DMARC is effectively implemented,
enterprises should collaborate with their IT security departments. When sending
email communications, this is a crucial cyber defense strategy for combating
phishing and protecting your organization's integrity. Sign up for the Global
Cyber Alliance's DMARC Bootcamp on September 9, 2019 to get started. You'll
learn everything you need to know about implementing a DMARC policy in your
company.