Tag Archive for: Email Security

DMARC Implementation Guide: 8 Steps to Implement DMARC

Email is like the trusty sidekick for businesses, big or small, when it comes to communication. But here’s the thing: cyber attackers have a thing for targeting emails. They see it as an opportunity to wreak havoc. One of the most effective ways to protect your organization from these email-based attacks is to implement DMARC.

You can implement DMARC manually, however, it is not recommended due to the technical complexities involved in the process and the lack of visibility and management. You can sign up with PowerDMARC to automate the DMARC implementation process, as well as manage and monitor your protocol policies from a single interface. 

How to Implement DMARC for Your Domains?

Step 1: Understand DMARC

Familiarize yourself with the DMARC protocol and how it works. DMARC builds upon existing email authentication methods, such as SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail).

email with dmarc

Step 2: Assess your email infrastructure

Evaluate your current email infrastructure to determine if you have control over the sending domains and can implement SPF and DKIM. Ensure you have access to DNS (Domain Name System) records for your domain.

Assess your email infrastructure

Step 3: Set up SPF or DKIM or Both

Implement SPF and/or DKIM for your domain. SPF defines the authorized email servers that can send emails on behalf of your domain, while DKIM adds a digital signature to the email headers, verifying the email’s authenticity.

dmarc dkim spf report

Step 4:Generate Your DMARC record 

You can create your record for DMARC for free by signing up on the PowerDMARC portal and going to PowerToolbox > DMARC record generator

Generate Your DMARC record

Step 5: Define Your DMARC Policy

Initially, set your DMARC policy to “none” to collect data and monitor email traffic without impacting email delivery. Once you have reviewed the reports and ensured legitimate email sources are aligned with SPF and DKIM, gradually enforce a stricter policy, such as “quarantine” or “reject,” to mitigate unauthorized or fraudulent emails.

DMARC policy

Step 6: Publish DMARC records

Create a DMARC record (DNS TXT record) for your domain in the DNS by accessing your DNS management console. This record should be published on the subdomain _dmarc.yourdomain.com.  This record specifies your DMARC policy and provides instructions to receiving email servers on how to handle emails that fail SPF and DKIM checks.

Add-a-TXT-type-record

Step 7: Monitor and analyze DMARC reports

Configure your DMARC policy to generate and receive aggregate and forensic reports. These DMARC reports provide valuable insights into how your domain is being used for email, allowing you to identify and address any unauthorized or fraudulent activities. PowerDMARC customers receive regular parsed, human-readable reports on the DMARC report analyzer dashboard to easily resolve deliverability issues and monitor authentication failures. 

Protecting Your Domain Against Online Threats

Step 8: Maintain and monitor DMARC

You can continuously monitor your DMARC reports and adjust your policies as needed with our DMARC analyzer tool. Regularly review the reports for any issues, such as misconfigured email sources or potential spoofing attempts.

powerdmarc dmarc data simplified

Benefits of implementing DMARC

Implementing DMARC comes with some awesome perks! It’s like having your own personal bodyguard for your emails. Here are a few benefits you can expect:

  • Fortified Cybersecurity: DMARC acts as a shield, safeguarding your organization from email-based cyberattacks like phishing and spoofing.
  • Enhanced Brand Protection: By authenticating your emails, DMARC prevents scammers from using your domain to deceive your customers and damage your brand reputation.
  • Increased Email Deliverability: With DMARC in place, your legitimate emails are more likely to reach the recipients’ inboxes instead of getting lost in spam folders.
  • Better Customer Trust: When your emails are protected by DMARC, your customers feel more confident knowing that they are interacting with genuine and secure communications.
  • Insightful Reporting: DMARC provides valuable feedback on email delivery and any attempted unauthorized use of your domain, allowing you to take proactive measures.

So, by implementing DMARC, you’re not only protecting your business but also building trust, enhancing deliverability, and staying one step ahead of those cyber baddies!

How to implement DMARC More Easily and Effectively with PowerDMARC?

PowerDMARC, as your DMARC service provider, offers much more than email authentication services. This is because we realize that information security is a vast domain and simply publishing your DMARC record isn’t enough to gear up against the rising rate of domain spoofing attacks, email phishing, and BEC. We strive to make email authentication easier and more accessible to enterprises of all sizes.

  • We simplify DMARC aggregate reports from complex XML files to simple, readable tables and charts for ease of understanding
  • We encrypt your forensic reports with your own private key that even we don’t have access to
  • We offer scheduled DMARC PDF reports that you can share with your employees, generated automatically as well as on demand
  • Our multi-tenant SaaS platform assembles an array of authentication protocols like BIMI, MTA-STS, and TLS-RPT apart from the standard authentication practices
  • We also help you evade multiple SPF flattening problems and SPF implementation errors like exceeding the SPF 10 lookup limit

Hopefully, this blog helped you configure how to implement DMARC for your domain. Sign up with PowerDMARC’s free DMARC analyzer tool to give your domain reputation and email deliverability a significant boost today!

implement dmarc

/by

Top 5 Evolved Email Fraud Scams: 2023 Trends

Email serves as a critical channel for B2B lead generation and customer communications, but it is also one of the most widely targeted channels for cyberattacks and email fraud scams. Cybercriminals are always innovating their attacks in order to steal more information and financial assets. As organizations continue to fight back with stronger security measures, cybercriminals must constantly evolve their tactics and improve their phishing and spoofing techniques.

In 2023, a drastic increase in the use of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) based phishing attacks that are going undetected by traditional email security solutions have been detected by security researchers from around the world. The main aim of these attacks are to manipulate human behaviour and trick people into performing unauthorized actions – like transferring money to fraudsters’ accounts.

While the threat of email-based attacks and email fraud are always evolving, don’t stay behind. Know the email fraud trends that will take place in the following years in terms of fraudster tactics, tools, and malware. Through this blog post I’ll show you how cybercriminals are developing their tactics, and explain how your business can prevent this kind of email attack from taking place.

Types Of Email Fraud Scams to Beware of in 2023

1. Business Email Compromise (BEC)

COVID-19 has compelled organizations to implement remote-working environments and shift to virtual communication between employees, partners, and customers. While this has a few benefits to list down, the most apparent downside is the alarming rise in BEC over the past year. BEC is a broader term used for referring to email fraud attacks like email spoofing and phishing.

The common idea is that a cyber attacker uses your domain name to send emails to your partners, customers, or employees trying to steal corporate credentials to gain access to confidential assets or initiate wire transfers. BEC has affected more than 70% of organizations over the past year and has led to the loss of billions of dollars worth of company assets.

2. Evolved Email Phishing Attacks

Email phishing attacks have drastically evolved in the past few years although the motive has remained the same, it is the medium to manipulate your trusted partners, employees and clients into clicking on malicious links encapsulated within an email that appears to be sent from you, in order to initiate the installation of malware or credential theft. Evolved email scammers are sending phishing emails that are hard to detect. From writing impeccable subject lines and error-free content to creating fake landing pages with a high level of accuracy, manually tracing their activities have become increasingly difficult in 2023.

3. Man-In-The-Middle

Gone are the days when attackers sent out poorly-written emails that even a layman could identify as fraudulent. Threat actors these days are taking advantage of SMTP security problems like the use of opportunistic encryption in email transactions between two communicating email servers, by eavesdropping on the conversation after successfully rolling back the secured connection to an unencrypted one. MITM attacks like SMTP downgrade and DNS spoofing have been increasingly gaining popularity in 2023.

4. CEO Fraud

CEO fraud refers to the schemes that are being conducted that target high-level executives in order to gain access to confidential information. Attackers do this by taking the identities of actual people such as CEOs or CFOs and sending a message to people at lower levels within the organization, partners and clients, tricking them into giving away sensitive information. This type of attack is also called Business Email Compromise or whaling. In a business setting, some criminals are venturing to create a more believable email, by impersonating the decision-makers of an organization. This allows them to ask for easy money transfers or sensitive information about the company.

5. COVID-19 Vaccine Lures

Security researchers have unveiled that hackers are still trying to capitalize on the fears tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent studies shed light on the cybercriminal mindset, revealing a continued interest in the state of panic surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and a measurable uptick in phishing and business email compromise (BEC) attacks targeting company leaders. The medium for perpetrating these attacks is a fake COVID-19 vaccine lure that instantly raises interest among email receivers.

How Can You Enhance Email Security?

  • Configure your domain with email authentication standards like SPF, DKIM and DMARC
  • Shift from DMARC monitoring to DMARC enforcement to gain maximum protection against BEC, CEO fraud and evolved phishing attacks
  • Consistently monitor email flow and authentication results from time to time
  • Make encryption mandatory in SMTP with MTA-STS to mitigate MITM attacks
  • Get regular notifications on email delivery issues with details on their root causes with SMTP TLS reporting (TLS-RPT)
  • Mitigate SPF permerror by staying under the 10 DNS lookup limit at all times
  • Help your recipients visually identify your brand in their inboxes with BIMI

PowerDMARC is your single email authentication SaaS platform that assembles all email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, MTA-STS, TLS-RPT and BIMI on a single pane of glass. Sign up today to get your free DMARC analyzer! 

implement dmarc

/by

Understanding the Different Types of Email Security Threats and How to Avoid Them

Email is an essential part of our daily lives. It is one of the primary methods of communication, and we use it to send and receive messages, documents, and even personal information. However, with the rise of email usage, email security threats have become increasingly common. Cybercriminals use various tactics to compromise email security, including phishing, spam, malware, and spoofing. In this blog post, we will discuss the different types of email security threats and provide tips on how to avoid them.

Phishing

Phishing is a type of email attack that is designed to trick the recipient into providing sensitive information or installing malware. Phishing emails often appear to be from a trusted source, such as a bank or a social media site. The email may contain a link to a fake website that looks like the real thing, and the recipient may be asked to enter their login credentials or other sensitive information.

To avoid falling victim to a phishing attack: 

  • Be wary of emails from unknown senders or emails that ask for personal or sensitive information
  • Always double-check the URL before entering any login credentials or sensitive information
  • Never click on suspicious links
  • Use email authentication protocols like DMARC, SPF, and DKIM. A combination of the three provides enhanced security against phishing emails sent from your own domain. 

Spam

Spam emails are unsolicited messages that are sent in bulk. They are often used to promote products or services, and they can also be used to distribute malware. Spam emails can be annoying and time-consuming to deal with, but they can also be a security risk.

To avoid spam, use a spam filter to automatically sort and delete unwanted messages. Be cautious when providing your email address online, and avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments from unknown sources.

Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is an email verification and authentication standard that can help you irradicate spam by verifying the authority of your email senders. 

Malware

Malware is a type of software that is designed to harm your computer or steal your information. Malware can be delivered through email attachments, links, or downloads. Once installed, malware can access your personal information, log your keystrokes, or even take control of your computer.

To avoid malware, never download or open attachments from unknown sources. Always use anti-virus software and keep it up to date. Be cautious when clicking on links in emails, especially if the email is from an unknown sender.

Spoofing

Spoofing is a type of email attack that involves forging the email header to make it appear as if it is from a trusted source. This can be used to trick the recipient into providing sensitive information or installing malware.

To avoid spoofing: 

  • Be cautious of emails from unknown senders
  • Always double-check the sender’s email address. 
  • Look for any unusual or suspicious activity in the email, such as unexpected requests for sensitive information
  • Direct-domain spoofing attacks can be minimized by using email authentication techniques like DMARC 

Man-in-the-Middle Attacks

Man-in-the-middle attacks involve intercepting communication between two parties to steal sensitive information. In the context of email, this can involve intercepting emails and stealing login credentials or other personal information.

To avoid man-in-the-middle attacks

  • Use encryption to protect your emails
  • Look for emails that are signed with a digital certificate or use end-to-end encryption
  • Use MTA-STS to encrypt your emails in transit using transport layer security

In conclusion, email security threats can be damaging, and it is important to be aware of the different types of threats and how to avoid them. By following the tips outlined above, you can protect your personal information and avoid falling victim to email security threats. Remember to always be cautious and double-check any emails that seem suspicious or ask for sensitive information. By taking a proactive approach to email security, you can ensure that your online communications remain secure and protected.

implement dmarc

/by

DMARC Security in 2023

Do you know what DMARC security is? DMARC stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance. It’s a security and email authentication protocol that allows organizations to protect their domain from being spoofed by email phishing scams. It’s also used by email service providers and ISPs to detect and prevent fraud.

If you haven’t heard of it yet, don’t worry—it’s actually pretty easy to understand.

What is DMARC Security? 

DMARC is an email authentication standard that helps you prevent spoofing, phishing, and other email-based attacks. It works by allowing you to define a policy that dictates how your domain should handle messages with invalid sender addresses.

The first step in setting up DMARC is registering your domain name with SPF, which allows you to control what IP addresses can send emails on behalf of your company. You’ll also need to set up DKIM and start reporting email abuse through spam reports or abuse reports.

Using SPF in combination with DMARC Security

When an ISP receives an email with SPF records attached, they check them against their own DNS records for the sender’s domain name. If there are no SPF records or if they don’t match up with what they have on file, then they reject the message because it could be spam or spoofed content from another source (like a phishing attack).

When used in combination with DMARC security, unauthorized emails can be blocked out by the sender before it reaches the client. 

Using DKIM in combination with DMARC Security

With DKIM, a domain owner registers with a public key provider and publishes a public key in DNS records. When an email is sent from an email server that uses DKIM, the sending server adds a signature to the message. The signature contains the domain of the sender (for example, “example.com”) and a cryptographic hash of the message headers and body. Receivers use this information to verify that an email message was not modified during transit.

DKIM alone does not protect against spoofing or phishing attacks because it does not authenticate the identity of the sender in any way. To address this issue and prevent spoofing, DMARC security is recommended.

What is our advice?

Going into 2023, we only want to advise the very best for your domain. For enhanced protection, it is advisable to set up your domain with both DKIM and SPF in combination with DMARC. This will also help you receive reports on any delivery failures that may have occurred if you’re on an enforced DMARC policy. 

Why is DMARC security important?

By default, most email servers send a “pass” or “fail” verdict on emails they receive, but this can be easily spoofed by spammers and phishers. DMARC allows you to authenticate the legitimacy of emails coming from your domain name and specify how those messages should be handled if they fail authentication or fail to pass SPF and DKIM checks.

How to start with DMARC security for beginners?

If you are new to DMARC security, here’s how you can start: 

  1. Use a hosted DMARC solution – A hosted DMARC solution will help you manage your protocol on a cloud-based dashboard without having to access your DNS to make updates or edits. This simplest the authentication process drastically, and is amazing for both beginners and experts who want to save time and effort. 
  2. Use online DMARC record generator tools to create your record – manually creating your record can lead to human errors. To prevent this using an online tool is your safest bet! 
  3. Learn about DMARC security by undertaking free DMARC training – if you want to understand the protocol in depth to figure out which would work best for you, take a DMARC training course. It takes only a few hours and is completely free of charge! 

DMARC security can set you apart from other organizations in terms of information security practices that you follow for improved domain reputation, lower email bounce rates, and better deliverability. For assistance in your DMARC security journey, contact PowerDMARC today!

implement dmarc

/by

The Ultimate Guide to Email Security: Types, Protocols, and Best Practices

Emails offer a mode of communication across businesses, customers, and stakeholders, maintaining a smooth exchange of information between all involved. However, it can be easily manipulated for malicious purposes if email security is not prioritized. 

Email security refers to the measures and practices implemented to protect email communication from unauthorized access, data breaches, and malicious activities. It includes various techniques and technologies aimed at ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity of email messages.

Email security involves multiple layers of protection to mitigate risks and safeguard sensitive information transmitted via email.

What is Email Security? 

Email security is the process of protecting email communication in the transmission and storage of private, personal, and commercial information sent through email. It includes content filtering, antivirus software, encryption algorithms, and email authentication to ensure data privacy, while at the same time preventing loss or unauthorized access.

Email security best practices are a set of recommended strategies that can help protect electronic communications, such that their intended content is not compromised or altered.

What are the 3 Types of Email Security?

There are three main categories within which to think about after you know what is email security: digital (scalable), physical (modifiable), and procedural.

  1. Digital – It involves making sure your emails are encrypted in transit and that they can’t be read by unauthorized parties.
  2. Physical – This type of security is used when you need to lock down a particular piece of data, such as an email message or attachment. The goal here is to prevent anyone from changing or deleting the content of the stored file. To do this, we might use a password or code that only individuals with access rights can access.
  3. Procedural – It’s about making sure that people who have permission can view or change information in the email system without having malicious intent towards the company itself or its customers.

How does Email Security work?

Email security works by implementing a 3-step process: 

  1. Authentication – This is the process by which you verify that the person who sent you an email actually sent it. You do this by checking their name and digital signature against your records.
  2. Encryption – This is when you encrypt your data so that only those with access to your private key can read it. This means nobody else can read it unless they have your private key information as well.
  3. Protection – Protection refers to the process of protecting yourself against phishing attacks by clicking on links in emails that could compromise your account or give away sensitive information (like passwords or credit card numbers).

Why is Email Security important?

Email security is important for the following reasons:

Safeguarding Confidentiality

Email often contains sensitive information, such as personal or financial data, or business secrets, and it is essential to protect this information from unauthorized access. Without adequate email security measures in place, such information could be easily intercepted and compromised.

Preserving the Integrity of Email Messages 

Email messages can be tampered with during transmission, making it possible for someone to modify the content of the message without the sender or recipient knowing about it. Ensuring the integrity of email ensures that messages remain unaltered during transmission.

Ensuring Availability

Email security is also important to ensure that email systems remain available and usable. Email systems can be targeted by attackers, and without proper security measures in place, they can be disrupted, resulting in downtime, lost productivity, and potential data loss.

Maintaining Compliance Standards

Many industries and organizations are subject to various regulations and compliance standards that require them to protect sensitive information. Implementing email security measures can help meet these compliance requirements and avoid costly fines and penalties.

Email Security Protocols

There are several standard email security protocols designed to enhance the security of email communication. Here are some of the commonly used protocols:

1. Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME)

S/MIME provides end-to-end encryption and digital signatures for email messages. It ensures the confidentiality and integrity of email content by encrypting the message and verifying the sender’s identity.

2. Transport Layer Security (TLS)

TLS is a widely adopted protocol that encrypts the communication between email servers, ensuring secure transmission of email data. It protects against eavesdropping and tampering during transit.

3. Sender Policy Framework (SPF)

SPF helps prevent email spoofing by allowing domain owners to specify which email servers are authorized to send messages on behalf of their domain. Recipient servers can then verify the SPF record to ensure the authenticity of incoming emails.

4. DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM)

DKIM adds a digital signature to outgoing emails, providing a way for recipient servers to verify that the message hasn’t been tampered with and is genuinely from the claimed domain.

5. Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC)

DMARC combines SPF and DKIM to authenticate emails and specify how recipient servers should handle messages that fail authentication. It helps prevent domain impersonation and allows domain owners to gain visibility into email usage and potential abuse.

6. Internet Message Access Protocol Secure (IMAPS) and Post Office Protocol Secure (POP3S)

IMAPS and POP3S are secure versions of the IMAP and POP3 protocols, respectively. They add encryption to the retrieval of email from mail servers, ensuring the confidentiality of email content during client-server communication.

These protocols work together to provide various layers of email security, including encryption, authentication, and verification, helping organizations protect against unauthorized access, data breaches, and email-based attacks.

Email Security Best Practices

Email security is a crucial part of your online business. If you don’t have an email security measure, you could be putting yourself at risk for cyber-attacks and data theft.

Fortunately, there are several email security practices. Each one of these practices has its way of protecting your mailing information and keeping it secure from prying eyes.

These practices include encryption, which protects your messages from being read by anyone who might intercept them as they travel across the network; and authentication, which verifies that the person on the other end of the message is who they say they are.

Implementing Spam Filters

Spam is a type of unsolicited email that often includes harmful or deceptive content. Spam emails can be sent by:

  • Spammers, who are trying to sell you products or services
  • Scammers, who are trying to steal your information and use it for financial gain;
  • “Black hat” hackers, who are looking for vulnerabilities in your system that they can exploit to access your data and cause other problems.

Spam filters are designed to identify and block unwanted emails. This is accomplished by examining the content of an email and looking for certain patterns. When a spam filter identifies a message as spam, it will prevent it from being sent to the recipient’s inbox.

There are many different types of spam filters available, including:

  • Blacklist-based filters that check messages against a list of known spammer addresses
  • Keyword-based filters that check messages based on keywords or phrases
  • Anomaly-based filters that look for potentially malicious content in messages
  • Heuristic-based filters that perform a combination of other types of analysis to determine whether or not a message is spam

Configuring Anti-Virus Protection

Viruses are one of the biggest threats to email security today. They can infect an entire network by corrupting files, stealing passwords and personal data, or spreading themselves across multiple systems through infected attachments sent through email. These viruses can wreak havoc on your company’s email servers and applications if they’re not detected quickly enough.

The best way to protect your emails is by implementing anti-virus protection systems within the email server. An anti-virus system checks all incoming emails for viruses, worms, and Trojan horses.

Using Email Attachment Control

Phishing emails are designed to trick people into giving up their personal information by clicking on a link in an email. The attachment to these emails often contains malicious software that could let the scammers access your computer and collect your banking information.

The best way to protect yourself from phishing attacks is by using an email attachment control system. These systems allow you to see what type of files are being sent to your inbox before they are opened by you or someone else on your team. They also help you verify whether or not the file was sent from the sender’s address before allowing it through security filters like antivirus software or spam filters.

Enforcing Email Encryption

Unencrypted emails are also vulnerable to hackers because they can be easily deciphered. This means that if someone were to intercept an unencrypted email, they could read it without having to use a password or key. Encrypting emails ensures that only the intended recipient can read them, making them more secure from hackers.

Email data encryption works by scrambling data so it becomes indecipherable without a special key. This means that even if someone steals an email from your server and reads it, they will not be able to make sense of what’s in the email without having access to the key needed to decrypt it—and only the intended recipient would have that key.

Learn how to encrypt email.

What are the examples of email security?

Here are some examples of email security:

  • A company uses a secure email program (like Gmail) and requires the user to enter a password before sending an email
  • The company uses encryption software that scrambles the content of emails sent over the internet
  • The company uses two-factor authentication, which means that users must enter both their password and a code they receive via text message or phone call before being able to log in
  • The company uses email authentication best practices like DMARC to make sure unauthorized emails are rejected or flagged as spam

Enhancing Email Security with DMARC, SPF & DKIM

Even if you know what is email security and how important it is for your business; you may still fall short of providing optimum security. That’s when DMARC, a next-generation email security protocol for businesses, schools, and corporate organizations comes in. It is an advanced security mechanism designed to protect businesses against email spoofing. If you want to secure your email communications, DMARC is the most efficient tool for this purpose. 

By implementing DMARC, you can ensure that all of the emails are sent from the domain (or legitimate recipient) you want them to be delivered from.

DMARC uses two other technologies, SPF and DKIM, as well to work together as a powerful whole.

SPF identifies where an email came from by checking the IP address of the sending server against a list of authorized servers for your domain.

DKIM creates a digital signature inside the message header. The signature is verified by checking against a public key that’s stored on the sender and recipient’s servers each. Therefore, it provides another layer of security by checking if someone has ownership over the domain they are sending the email from or if they are just trying to impersonate a legitimate sender.

How Does DMARC Level Up Email Security?

DMARC is the best email security solution because it’s built on a foundation of strong authentication, trusted third parties, and a rules-based policy.

The result is that DMARC provides you with a solid foundation for managing your email communications, while also giving you the ability to set up complex policies that allow you to manage your messages even if they’re coming from untrusted sources.

Here is how DMARC spruces up email security:

  1. One of the most prominent features that make DMARC different from other email security solutions is that it looks at the metadata of the email (such as who it was sent from). Therefore, it does not only prevent spam or phishing attacks. But also authenticates messages before they are sent and ensures only legitimate recipients can receive them.
  2. It’s effective because it works on both the source side (the content of the emails, including attachments) and the target side (the inbox of the recipients).
  3. It uses a variety of methods to identify suspicious messages, including IP addresses and DNS lookup data, which means that it doesn’t rely on a single point of failure like other solutions do.
  4. DMARC works by identifying suspicious emails, then blocking them from reaching their intended recipients. It uses a variety of methods to identify suspicious messages, including IP addresses and DNS lookup data, which means that it doesn’t rely on a single point of failure like other solutions do.
  5. DMARC works with all types of email providers and can be implemented for both small businesses and large enterprises. It’s also very easy to customize, meaning you can adjust its policies (like p=reject or p=none) that match specific types of emails with different actions based on their content.

Benefits of using Email Security Services

DMARC is a modern email security solution that uses Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) standards to reduce the risk of phishing and malware in your emails.

It works by sending a special header when an email is sent that identifies the sender, adds additional features to improve email security, and allows you to set up an effective response if someone attempts to send phishing or malware-tainted messages through your account. It does this using a series of checks and balances based on information about the sender, recipient, subject line, body text, and other specific characteristics of each message.

The DMARC protocol requires each message to carry an authentication tag, which is an identifier for the sender domain. If the recipient of an email does not have access to that tag, then the recipient machine will not be able to verify whether or not the message came from a legitimate source.

Email Security with PowerDMARC

No matter how much you train your employees to use email securely, security breaches are inevitable. If your company is one of the many that have been hacked, it can be hard to know where to start when it comes to fixing the security hole.

Therefore, you should consider using PowerDMARC’s Dmarc managed services. Our team of experts has been working for decades in the field of data security, and we know what it takes to protect against the latest attacks.

  • Using our DMARC analyzer configuration service, you’re able to configure your email server so that it rejects messages from unverified senders.
  • This helps keep your servers secure from hackers who would try to get into them by sending out malicious emails.
  • This will also help protect your customer’s data from being stolen by hackers because it will prevent them from impersonating your brand.

With DMARC configured properly, all of these email security problems will go away, so you can focus on what matters: building better relationships with customers. Sign-up for free today!

implement dmarc

 

/by

Information Security vs Cyber Security: How are they mutually exclusive?

Information Security and Cyber Security are two separate fields, but with way too much overlap there to create confusion in understanding the concepts of each. This post takes a deep dive into an overview of information security vs cyber security so that you can make an informed decision regarding your knowledge and levels of protection for your private or public sector organization.

What is Information Security?

Information Security (also known as InfoSec) is the process of protecting information assets from unauthorized access, use, modification, disclosure, and destruction. It encompasses all facets of protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the information.

The purpose of information security is to help organizations protect their intellectual property, customer data, trade secrets, proprietary information, and other assets–such as resources of value–from being accessed, used, or disclosed by unauthorized parties with malicious intent.

In today’s tech-driven world, where people are constantly sharing information online via email, social media accounts, and more, companies must implement strong information security programs so that they can protect their data and prevent it from being hacked. Therefore, mitigating the risk of losing customers and brand integrity.

Information security can be achieved through the use of security measures like encryption keys, access control and email authentication.

For example, a company may have an online store that sells its products, but it needs to protect the data that identifies customers and their orders. The company’s information security measures include encrypting all of its transmitted information, developing and enforcing policies around password use and file sharing, and monitoring all access to network resources.

What is Cyber Security?

Cyber Security is the process of protecting networks, systems, and data from unauthorized access, modification, and destruction. It is an umbrella term for a group of related technologies and disciplines that help to prevent unauthorized access to networks, systems, and data.

Cybersecurity can be broken down into three main categories; risk analysis, detection and response, and protection.

  • Risk analysis involves identifying potential risks to your organization’s networks and systems so you can prioritize where to spend your cybersecurity budget.
  • Detection involves monitoring activity on your network to detect any unauthorized activity or activity that might indicate a breach has occurred.
  • Protection involves protecting your information systems from being attacked by hackers using various methods such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems (IDSs).

For organizations to be successful in an increasingly digital world, they must ensure that their cyber security practices are robust enough to prevent, identify, and respond to cyber threats to maintain the security of data and networks.

Cyber security can also help prevent corporate espionage in other ways. For example, if someone inside your company tries to access another employee’s account on your network, they will be blocked by the firewall until they have been authenticated and authorized by the proper authorities.

Information Security vs Cyber Security: The Differences

Information security and cyber security are two distinct fields of information technology that complement each other.

These two disciplines often overlap in their practice as technologies evolve but each should be given consideration individually for its purpose or applications.

Let’s read how they differ from one another in the Information Security vs Cyber Security comparison shared below:

Protection Parameters

Cyber security protects cyberspace from threats, while information security is the protection of overall data from threats.

Cyber security focuses on the protection of networks, devices, and systems against cyber attacks. It also aims to protect individuals against identity theft, fraud, and other online crimes. Cyber security is concerned with protecting users’ privacy through encryption in their communications and data. This means that cyber security does not protect companies’ intellectual property or provide for employee privacy.

Information security focuses on protecting organizations’ data from unauthorized access by employees or outsiders. It is concerned with ensuring that confidential information is stored securely without falling into the hands of third parties who could use it inappropriately or even cause harm to its owner. Information security can be divided into three categories: physical (e.g., locking away documents), logical (e.g., encrypting sensitive data), and administrative controls (e.g., changing passwords periodically).

A good way to think about these two approaches is to consider how they relate to each other in terms of risks. Cybersecurity focuses on risk management and controls that are used to prevent harm from occurring within cyberspace; whereas information security focuses on risk management and controls for managing threats to individual systems (or organizations).

Security Scope

Cyber security is the process of protecting information in cyberspace. It deals with protecting the data or information that resides in a computer system or network from being compromised by hackers, viruses, and other malicious software. Since cybercrime is a global threat, businesses often choose cyber security localization to strengthen the security of their web properties.

Information security on the other hand is the broader umbrella term that includes all of the techniques used to protect information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, modification, or destruction in any form. It protects data and information regardless of whether they are stored on a hard drive in an office building, or on an external server in another country.

The key takeaway here is that Cyber Security provides defense mechanisms within the cyber realm only while Information Security looks at protecting data regardless of where it resides or how it is used (i.e., at home or in business).

Threat Shielding

Cybersecurity is concerned with the protection of computer networks and technologies from cyberattacks, cyberterrorism, and other kinds of attacks that use computers or networks as their means. On the other hand, information security focuses on protecting data in whatever format it’s stored.

For example, if you’re trying to protect your email messages from being stolen by hackers, you’re dealing with cybersecurity. If you’re trying to protect your family’s health records from getting into the wrong hands, you’re dealing with information security.

Therefore…

Cybersecurity deals with those threats in cyberspace—those that occur when you’re using your computer or mobile device, or even when you’re connected to the Internet. Information security deals with any form of threat related to the protection of any sort of data—whether it’s physical data like financial records or other types of information like email accounts.

Combat Approach

Cybersecurity refers to the technology that protects information systems from cyber-attacks. Information security refers to the techniques that companies use to protect their data and systems from unauthorized access, disclosure of confidential information, or disruption by hackers.

➜ Cybersecurity combats:

Cybercrime – a broad term that describes any illegal activity that happens online. Some cybercrimes include hacking, phishing, identity theft, and other crimes.

Cyber fraud – a digital scam committed through the internet or email, e.g credit card fraud (where someone steals your credit card information and uses it to make purchases online.)

➜ Information security combats:

Unauthorized access – when a person or entity accesses information without authorization. An example of unauthorized access is someone who steals data on a server or network.

Disclosure modification – when an attacker intentionally modifies the data in such a way that it can be used against the original owner.

Disruption – the act of interfering with normal operations of a system to deny service to legitimate users, causing outages and delays in orders being fulfilled.

Therefore, the difference between information security and cyber security is like the difference between guarding a castle with a sword versus using a gun to defend it—both are necessary for keeping your castle safe, but one is more effective than the other depending on your circumstances. This makes both of them an important aspect of any organization’s overall protection strategy.

Defense Activation

Cybersecurity is the first line of defense against cyber threats. It’s what we call “the good guys” when they’re trying to prevent hackers from infiltrating your computer or stealing your personal information.

Information security is what happens when cyber security fails—when it is breached and malicious code gets past the firewall and into your system. Information security helps you prevent breaches and recover quickly from them so that you can continue to use your system without interruption.

Because cyber security deals with external threats, it’s often referred to as “outside-in” protection, while information security is more of an “inside-out” approach that focuses on both internal and external risks.

Information Security vs Cyber Security: The Overlaps

Information security and cybersecurity are two separate, but related, fields. It’s because they both focus on protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive information from unauthorized access or use.

There are some key overlapping concerns in this space:

  • both fields look at threats to data security that might come from any source (including human error)
  • both fields look at protecting data as it flows through networks or devices
  • both fields look at securing devices so that they’re not vulnerable to attack by hackers or other bad actors

To sum it up, information security provides the technological components needed to protect data while cyber-security provides a framework for how those technical components should be used by organizations that want their data protected from attackers.

Email Security as a Part of Information Security

A proper information security framework also incorporates email security since most information in a corporate setup is exchanged via emails. 

To secure your emails against spoofing and phishing threats, A DMARC analysis tool is imperative. Implement email authentication protocols at your organizations to safguard your email communications today!

implement dmarc

/by