Phishing is one of the most serious threats to online security. Countless millions of emails are sent and received daily, and many of these communications are the construct of a devious entity that wants to steal personal information.
The ability to notify an email sender with exacting instructions on how to handle suspicious, unauthenticated email aids tremendously in the battle against spammers. Companies can now rely on accurate reporting generated by their own created policies to determine the extent to which their authentic emails are being duplicated with fakes. Best of all, these unwanted phishing attacks on the company's customers can be virtually eliminated through the use of DMARC which is a superior online security tool.
Problems Confronting Email Senders
Email programs use a variety of sending mechanisms as well as technologies for detecting spam. Even though they use SPF or DKIM to weed out unauthenticated email traffic, the system is flawed because of the use of 3rd party help in sending bulk messages. In addition, the original sender may not be able to authenticate messages, meaning that the receiving system cannot discern between genuine transmissions and those sent by phishers.
The D-MARC policies are available to all businesses and consumers. The outline is rather simple, and business owners can choose how to have a receiver check the messages for authenticity.
How The Policies Are Written
Business owners write out a policy that includes the company domain name, DNS information, and other important details about the firm. When emails are sent to a receiver and distributor, a protection header - usually SPF or DKIM - is included. The receiver checks the email material and compares it to the dmarc record on file for that business.
Depending on the settings provided by the original composer and sender, the receiver will then choose to pass the email along to the final recipient, quarantine the message, or reject it completely. A record of each procedure is kept and can be accessed by the original creator of the email.
Policies can be changed as the business owner becomes more confident that all legitimate emails are being sent to customers. Once a company owner realizes that all of the legitimate email traffic is being passed on to customers, he or she may decide to choose a reject mode rather than quarantine mode for suspicious emails.
In the end, customers receive only validated emails, and the chance of them responding to a phishing attack is practically zero.
Businesses that send a huge number of emails on a regular basis often find themselves battling imposters. Spammers attempt to use a company's logo as well as its good reputation to send illegitimate emails to customers and subscribers. This causes a lack of trust between the company and its clientele.
One of the more innovative solutions to this problem involves the use of a DMARC record. The abbreviation dmarc stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, & Conformance. This technology allows businesses to track the success or failure of email messaging by having the receiver use specified documentation to determine the legitimacy of the data.
An Overload Of Emails
Receivers such as email servers and Internet providers often have a difficult time separating authentic emails from fraudulent ones. This is because the emails themselves do not always contain information that verifies the sender. Because of this, messages that are valid often get marked as spam. At the same time, fake emails slip through and become part of the validation process, meaning that future spamming becomes even easier.
The DMARC technology overcomes this problem by allowing businesses to attach special coding onto every email prior to delivery to the receiving entity. This code includes information about the company that a spammer would not know. So long as the emails are sent using a system that utilizes either SPF or DKIM mechanisms, attaching validation code within the data is relatively easy. The receiver uses the instructions given by the sender to determine whether to forward the email to the addressee or reject it.
The Record Keeping Process
The dmarc program is set up to give senders an ongoing record of which emails are sent to the addressee and which ones fail because they do not meet authentication requirements. The sender can adjust the requirements based on recent history. Every batch of emails carries information about the company including DNS verification, URL and domain registration, and aliases used by the domain manager.
If some of the emails sent by the receiver to addressees get marked as spam, the statistics are viewable by the sender. A daily report is sent from each participating email provider. These reports clearly show which message batches are being authenticated by the provider and which ones are flagged as spam.
After testing the program for a while and analyzing the results, businesses can adjust their requirements accordingly so that fewer and fewer fake emails reach the intended addressees. This significantly reduces the chance that a client, account holder, or member will receive phishing emails that are intended to extract personal or financial information from the addressee. A simple but effective process, DMARC record analysis can eliminate a sizable expenditure from a company's budget that of course being the money spent in an attempt to thwart spammers and keep trust high between merchant and consumer.
The ability to notify an email sender with exacting instructions on how to handle suspicious, unauthenticated email aids tremendously in the battle against spammers. Companies can now rely on accurate reporting generated by their own created policies to determine the extent to which their authentic emails are being duplicated with fakes. Best of all, these unwanted phishing attacks on the company's customers can be virtually eliminated through the use of DMARC which is a superior online security tool.
Problems Confronting Email Senders
Email programs use a variety of sending mechanisms as well as technologies for detecting spam. Even though they use SPF or DKIM to weed out unauthenticated email traffic, the system is flawed because of the use of 3rd party help in sending bulk messages. In addition, the original sender may not be able to authenticate messages, meaning that the receiving system cannot discern between genuine transmissions and those sent by phishers.
The D-MARC policies are available to all businesses and consumers. The outline is rather simple, and business owners can choose how to have a receiver check the messages for authenticity.
How The Policies Are Written
Business owners write out a policy that includes the company domain name, DNS information, and other important details about the firm. When emails are sent to a receiver and distributor, a protection header - usually SPF or DKIM - is included. The receiver checks the email material and compares it to the dmarc record on file for that business.
Depending on the settings provided by the original composer and sender, the receiver will then choose to pass the email along to the final recipient, quarantine the message, or reject it completely. A record of each procedure is kept and can be accessed by the original creator of the email.
Policies can be changed as the business owner becomes more confident that all legitimate emails are being sent to customers. Once a company owner realizes that all of the legitimate email traffic is being passed on to customers, he or she may decide to choose a reject mode rather than quarantine mode for suspicious emails.
In the end, customers receive only validated emails, and the chance of them responding to a phishing attack is practically zero.
Businesses that send a huge number of emails on a regular basis often find themselves battling imposters. Spammers attempt to use a company's logo as well as its good reputation to send illegitimate emails to customers and subscribers. This causes a lack of trust between the company and its clientele.
One of the more innovative solutions to this problem involves the use of a DMARC record. The abbreviation dmarc stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, & Conformance. This technology allows businesses to track the success or failure of email messaging by having the receiver use specified documentation to determine the legitimacy of the data.
An Overload Of Emails
Receivers such as email servers and Internet providers often have a difficult time separating authentic emails from fraudulent ones. This is because the emails themselves do not always contain information that verifies the sender. Because of this, messages that are valid often get marked as spam. At the same time, fake emails slip through and become part of the validation process, meaning that future spamming becomes even easier.
The DMARC technology overcomes this problem by allowing businesses to attach special coding onto every email prior to delivery to the receiving entity. This code includes information about the company that a spammer would not know. So long as the emails are sent using a system that utilizes either SPF or DKIM mechanisms, attaching validation code within the data is relatively easy. The receiver uses the instructions given by the sender to determine whether to forward the email to the addressee or reject it.
The Record Keeping Process
The dmarc program is set up to give senders an ongoing record of which emails are sent to the addressee and which ones fail because they do not meet authentication requirements. The sender can adjust the requirements based on recent history. Every batch of emails carries information about the company including DNS verification, URL and domain registration, and aliases used by the domain manager.
If some of the emails sent by the receiver to addressees get marked as spam, the statistics are viewable by the sender. A daily report is sent from each participating email provider. These reports clearly show which message batches are being authenticated by the provider and which ones are flagged as spam.
After testing the program for a while and analyzing the results, businesses can adjust their requirements accordingly so that fewer and fewer fake emails reach the intended addressees. This significantly reduces the chance that a client, account holder, or member will receive phishing emails that are intended to extract personal or financial information from the addressee. A simple but effective process, DMARC record analysis can eliminate a sizable expenditure from a company's budget that of course being the money spent in an attempt to thwart spammers and keep trust high between merchant and consumer.
The author of this article is in the relevant industry for
more than two decades. She knows the nuances of email protection very well. Her
article on DMARC e-mail security has
earned great name and fame for her.
Secure your online presence by opting for DMARC
Reviewed by I
on
February 28, 2019
Rating:
Reviewed by I
on
February 28, 2019
Rating: