How can you be sure that the email in your inbox is from your bank in this era of sophisticated cyberattacks? Is it possible to trust the link within it?
Sender fraud protection via the
adoption of the DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication,
Reporting, and Conformance) anti-phishing and anti-spoofing protocol is
meant to eliminate this ambiguity. This post will discuss how DMARC helps
prevent sender forgeries and will look at ways to protect your inbox from fake
emails that might lead to data theft, fraudulent wire transfers, substantial, expensive
downtime, and serious long-term reputation harm.
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Email
Spoofing is a popular tactic used by cybercriminals.
Email spoofing, a type of email
fraud in which a hostile actor sends an email with a fake "From" address is a common strategy in phishing and other harmful email frauds. The
sender forges an email header in a spoofing attack so that the client software
shows the fake sender address, which most users take at face value. Attackers
are more likely to trick users into disclosing sensitive information by
impersonating a known and trusted individual or organization. When an email
appears to be from a known and trusted source, recipients are more likely to
click on a malicious URL, share credentials, install malware, or wire corporate
funds. Because spoofing is a method employed in the bulk of current phishing
schemes, which account for over 90% of all cyberattacks, having an effective
plan in place to protect against email spoofing is important in securing
consumers and key company assets. More information about email spoofing may be
found here.
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What is
DMARC and how does it keep you safe from sender fraud?
DMARC
is an email authentication protocol (or standard) that verifies sender
identification and confirms the authenticity of email exchanges. It was created
to help systems and devices interact more effectively. It adds an
"identification check" to all inbound messages to enable senders and
receivers to collaborate to build more secure email conversations. Providers and
receivers can use DMARC to identify whether an email received from a sender
originated from that sender and not a faked address.
SPF (an open standard that specifies a method for preventing sender address forgery) and/or
DKIM (a TXT record published in an organization's Domain Name System that
provides a method for validating a domain name identity associated with a
message through cryptographic authentication) enable a sender to indicate that
their messages are protected with DMARC. If an email fails SPF or DKIM
authentication, DMARC provides explicit instructions for the receiver to follow
(reject, trash, etc.) and delivers a report back to the sender regarding
messages that PASS and/or FAIL DMARC assessment. When an email passes both SPF
and DKIM authentications, it means the message is originating from a trusted
server and the header information hasn't been changed to deceive the
recipient. An email that passes at least one of the two authentication
procedures demonstrate that the sender controls the DNS space of the
"Friendly-From" - the name and address that indicate how the sender
wishes to be known - and is thus who they claim to be.
DMARC should be implemented as
part of a multi-layered email security solution managed by a
provider with a thorough understanding of how this protocol can be used most
effectively as one component of a defense-in-depth approach to protecting
sensitive information and preventing email fraud in order to be truly effective
in combating spoofing and sender fraud.
- Key Takeaways
Protecting against phishing,
spoofing, and other attacks that exploit sender forging to trick users into
giving sensitive information requires implementing DMARC as part of a multi-layered approach to strengthen business email.
Due to the pandemic, email risk
has increased dramatically, and this increased risk will continue for years to
come, as cyber-criminals now have systems in place to disseminate assaults
leveraging the current trends, such as the development of insecure cloud email.
Because an attack or breach may result in substantial, costly downtime, data
theft lost customer confidence, or worse - permanent business closure, no organization
can afford to neglect the value of DMARC as part of a complete email security plan.
We're here to assist
you! Interested in learning more about how to use DMARC to the maximum extent
possible to protect your users and critical business assets in this high-risk
digital environment? Let's Talk>>