Is your email Authentication Effective?

Email authentication is becoming more and more of a ‘buzz’ phrase these days, for good reason. Phishing continues to grow as the main cause of data breaches and security incidents. This is not new at all – it’s been the case for quite a few years now – it’s just reaching hyper-speed.

When cybercriminals ‘step it up,’ then we need to step it up, and this represents a major shift in the email cybersecurity landscape, and it’s all based on warding off phishing scams. Email authentication is becoming a requirement for email service providers. It’s crucial to your online presence and communication to pay attention to this shift.

Google, followed by Yahoo, are the world's largest email providers, and they have both implemented a new DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) policy that took effect a year ago. This policy basically makes email authentication essential. It’s targeted at businesses sending emails through Gmail and Yahoo Mail.

Let’s dive into the world of email authentication, take a look at DMARC and learn why it’s so important. We’ll help you understand why it's more critical than ever for your business.

Email Spoofing

Consider a scenario where you get an email that appears to come from your bank and requests urgent action, providing a link or attachment for details. You click, and BAM! Now you have Ransomware – or, if you clicked a link and were taken to a spoofed (copied) bank site and entered your details, your information is compromised in some other fashion.

This is commonly called email spoofing, wherein scammers disguise their email addresses and try to appear as legitimate individuals or organizations that you would normally trust. Scammers spoof, or copy, a business’s email address, logos, signatures, and websites etc. Then they email customers and vendors pretending to be that business.

Tactics like this not only victimize consumers, but businesses as well, and they can have devastating consequences, including:

Financial losses

Reputational damage

Data breaches

Loss of future business

Email spoofing is a rapidly growing problem, making email authentication a critical defensive measure.

What is DMARC email authentication?

To keep DMARC in context, let’s start with the basics: email authentication is a way of verifying that your email is legitimate. This includes verifying the server sending the email and reporting back unauthorized uses of a company domain.

Email authentication uses three key protocols, and each has a specific job:

1: Sender Policy Framework (SPF): Records the IP addresses authorized to send email for a domain.

2: DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM): Allows domain owners to digitally “sign” emails, verifying legitimacy.

3: Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC): Helps protect email senders from unauthorized use of their domain for sending fraudulent emails, also known as spoofing, by giving instructions to a receiving email server. These include what to do with the results of an SPF and DKIM check. It also alerts domain owners that their domain is being spoofed.

These three perform specific functions: SPF and DKIM are protective steps, while DMARC provides information critical to security enforcement. It helps keep scammers from using your domain name in spoofing attempts.

What does DMARC do?

The first step is to set up a DMARC record in your domain server settings. This record informs email receivers like Google and Yahoo, the IP addresses authorized to send emails on your behalf.

So, once you send an email, it arrives at the receiver’s mail server, which will look to see if the email is from an authorized sender.

Then, based on your DMARC policy, the receiver can take action, including delivery, rejection, or quarantine.

The DMARC authentication process includes sending you reports that let you know if your business email is being delivered. It also tells you if scammers are spoofing your domain.

Why Google & Yahoo's DMARC Policies Matter

Both Google and Yahoo offer some level of spam filtering, but they had not been strictly enforced until now. Google and Yahoo's DMARC policies raise the bar on email security.

Both email hosts required DMARC implementation for businesses sending over 5,000 emails daily.

But if you send less emails, you’re not off the hook: Google and Yahoo also have policies for you, but they relate to SPF and DKIM authentication.

Email authentication requirements are fully expected to continue and expand. It will be wise to pay attention to ensure the smooth, uninterrupted delivery of your business email.

What are the benefits of DMARC?

The main benefit is that DMARC Increases email deliverability, but while implementing DMARC is about maintaining compliance with new policies, there’s more to it than just that. There are a range of benefits to be had for your business:

Protects your brand reputation: DMARC helps prevent email spoofing scams which can damage your brand image and customer trust. If your email gets hacked and sends spam to your entire address book, how does that make you look? Smart and competent are not what comes to mind.

Improves email deliverability: It’s a hassle when emails don’t go through. Proper authentication ensures delivery. Your legitimate emails reach recipients' inboxes instead of spam folders.

Provides valuable insights: DMARC reports offer detailed information that give visibility into how different receivers are handling your emails as well as helping you identify potential issues. They also improve your email security posture.

How do you set up DMARC?

You should set up DMARC right now when you consider the rising email security concerns with email spoofing.

How to get started:

Review your DMARC options

Consult your internal IT Support or outsource Managed IT Services provider

Track and adjust regularly