Category: DMARC Configuration

DMARC by Tangent

DMARC: The Ultimate Guide to Email Authentication

Michelle

Email authentication is a critical aspect of email security. It helps ensure that the emails you send and receive are legitimate and not forged or spoofed. DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) is one of the most effective email authentication protocols that organizations can implement to prevent email fraud and protect their brand reputation. In this blog post, we will explore what DMARC is, how it works, and how you can implement it to secure your email communications.

What is DMARC?

DMARC is an email authentication protocol that uses two other protocols, SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), to authenticate email messages. DMARC builds on top of SPF and DKIM and adds an additional layer of security by providing a mechanism for email receivers to determine if a given message is legitimate or not.

How does DMARC work?

DMARC works by allowing domain owners to publish policies in their DNS records that specify which authentication mechanisms (SPF and/or DKIM) are employed by the domain and what action should be taken if a message fails authentication checks. When an email is received, the receiver checks the message’s authentication status against the domain’s DMARC policy. If the message passes authentication checks, it is delivered to the recipient’s inbox. If the message fails authentication checks, the receiver can take actions such as quarantining or rejecting the message.

Why is DMARC important?

DMARC is important because it helps prevent email fraud and protects your brand reputation. By implementing DMARC, you can ensure that your customers receive only legitimate emails from your domain and not phishing or spam emails. Additionally, DMARC provides visibility into who is sending emails on your behalf, which can help you identify unauthorized senders and take appropriate actions to stop them.

How to implement DMARC?

To implement DMARC, you need to follow these steps:

  1. Create a DMARC record in your DNS zone file.
  2. Set your DMARC policy to “none” to monitor email traffic without taking any actions.
  3. Analyze your DMARC reports to understand the email traffic and identify any authentication failures.
  4. Gradually increase your DMARC policy to “quarantine” or “reject” to prevent unauthorized senders from using your domain.

DMARC is an essential email authentication protocol that can help organizations prevent email fraud and protect their brand reputation. By implementing DMARC, you can ensure that only legitimate emails are sent from your domain, and unauthorized senders are stopped from using your domain for spam or phishing. Follow the steps outlined in this post to implement DMARC and secure your email communications.

Solutions such as DMARC Director can guide you through the steps of setting up and managing DMARC swiftly and easily. Visit: DMARC.Tangent.com to Demo

dmarc security assessment

Security Assessments for Industrial and Pharmaceutical OEMs

Michelle

DMARC is a security protocol that helps prevent email fraud and phishing attacks by allowing email recipients to verify that incoming messages are from an authorized sender.  Enabling DMARC will stop your domain from being spoofed. It stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance. DMARC also enables senders to receive reports on how their email is being handled, allowing them to make improvements to their email authentication practices.

Pharmaceutical and industrial OEM companies are prime targets for cybercriminals because of the sensitive nature of their business operations. Cybercriminals may attempt to impersonate your brand in order to steal sensitive information, money, or intellectual property. They may also attempt to deliver malware or ransomware to your customers or employees through phishing emails that appear to come from your company.

As a pharmaceutical or industrial original equipment manufacturer (OEM) company, your brand is critical to your success. Protecting your brand reputation is vital to ensure that your customers trust your products. One way to do this is by implementing DMARC.

Here are Four reasons why you need a DMARC security assessment if you’re a pharmaceutical or industrial OEM company:

Boost your Email Security from Phishing: 

The most sophisticated and successful phishing attacks use your domain. Phishing emails that seem to be sent from accounting departments and CEOs can be particularly hazardous and DMARC can stop them in their tracks.

Protect Your Brand Reputation:

Your brand is your most valuable asset. A successful phishing attack that uses your brand to trick customers into providing sensitive information can damage your reputation and erode the trust that your customers have in your products DMARC can help you identify vulnerabilities in your email authentication practices and implementing a stronger DMARC policy to prevent unauthorized emails from being delivered.

Ensure Regulatory Compliance:

The pharmaceutical and industrial OEM industries are heavily regulated, and failure to comply with regulations can result in severe penalties. DMARC compliance is required for some regulations, such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). A Tangent DMARC implementation can ensure that you’re compliant with these regulations.

Improve Email Deliverability:

DMARC can help improve your email deliverability by ensuring that your emails are authenticated and not marked as spam or phishing attempts. DMARC can identify issues that may be impacting your email deliverability and help you resolve them, ensuring that your legitimate emails are delivered to your clients’ inboxes.

Tangent offers a white glove implementation service making it easy to get started with DMARC.  We use the aggregated report to find all of your sending sources, align your policy to make it easy to upgrade your policy to quarantine and eventually reject.

DMARC is essential for pharmaceutical and industrial OEM companies that want to protect their brand reputation, ensure regulatory compliance, and improve email deliverability.

Learn more at dmarc.tangent.com or call:  (650) 535-3422 

stophackersdmarcmisconfiguration

DMARC: How Hackers Exploit Misconfigured DMARC Settings

Michelle

Email security is a critical concern for businesses and organizations of all sizes. One important tool for protecting against email-based attacks is DMARC. When properly configured, DMARC helps to confirm the authenticity of emails & intercept them from being spoofed or impersonated.

However, misconfigured DMARC settings can leave an organization vulnerable to hacking attempts. We’ll explore how hackers take advantage of misconfigured DMARC settings and what organizations can do to protect themselves.

How hackers take advantage of misconfigured DMARC settings:

Hackers can use misconfigured DMARC settings to launch a variety of email-based attacks, such as phishing, spamming, and impersonation. 

For example, a hacker might send a phishing email from a domain that appears to be legitimate but is actually unauthenticated. 

By bypassing DMARC protection, the hacker can trick recipients into disclosing sensitive information or clicking on malicious links. 

Hackers can also use misconfigured DMARC settings to send spam or impersonate a legitimate sender, damaging an organization’s reputation and credibility.

Examples of DMARC misconfiguration:

Unfortunately, misconfigured DMARC settings are all too common. In 2018, a major data breach at the Marriott hotel chain was attributed to a misconfigured DMARC record. The hackers sent phishing emails to Marriott employees that appeared to be from the company’s CEO, leading to the compromise of hundreds of millions of customer records. 

Other organizations have suffered similar breaches due to DMARC misconfiguration, including Yahoo, Target, and the Democratic National Committee.

Some common mistakes organizations make when setting up DMARC include not properly aligning SPF and DKIM records or not setting the DMARC policy to “quarantine” or “reject.” These errors can leave an organization open to attack.

Best practices for configuring DMARC: 

So, how can organizations protect themselves from these types of attacks? 

Here are some best practices for properly configuring DMARC:

  • Align SPF and DKIM records: Make sure your SPF and DKIM records align with your DMARC policy. This will help to ensure that only authenticated emails are delivered to your recipients.
  • Use a “quarantine” or “reject” policy: Set your DMARC policy to “quarantine” or “reject” to prevent unauthenticated emails from being delivered to your recipients.
  • Monitor and manage your DMARC settings: Use tools and resources like DMARC Analyzer to monitor and manage your DMARC settings. This will help you to identify any potential vulnerabilities and take action to fix them.

Misconfigured DMARC settings can leave an organization vulnerable to email-based attacks. By configuring DMARC and following best practices, organizations can protect themselves and their customers from these threats. Stay vigilant and take steps to ensure the security of your email communications.

Why do I need DMARC Configured

Why Do I Need DMARC Configured?

Michelle

DMARC, or Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance is a crucial email authentication protocol that helps protect email senders and recipients from spam, phishing, and other types of email fraud. If you’re a business owner or administrator responsible for managing email for your organization, you may have heard of DMARC and wondered why it’s important to have it configured. This article will explain why DMARC is essential and how it can benefit your organization. 

First, let’s take a closer look at how DMARC works. When an incoming email arrives at its destination, DMARC checks the “From” field in the header to see if it matches the domain of the sender’s email server. If the domains don’t match, DMARC can block the email or mark it as spam. This helps prevent spam or phishing emails from being delivered to your inbox and protects you from inadvertently clicking on malicious links or providing sensitive information to hackers. 

Now, let’s explore the top four reasons why you should configure DMARC for your domain: 

Protect your reputation: 

DMARC can help protect your domain from being used in spam or phishing attacks, damaging your reputation and leading to decreased deliverability of your legitimate emails. Email providers may be less likely to deliver your emails to their users’ inboxes when your domain is associated with spam or phishing. By implementing DMARC, you can demonstrate to email providers that you are taking steps to secure your domain and prevent its use in spam or phishing attacks. This can help improve the deliverability of your legitimate emails and protect your reputation. 

Improve deliverability: 

Implementing DMARC can directly improve your emails’ deliverability. When you configure DMARC, you’re telling email providers that you’re committed to securing your domain and protecting your users from spam and phishing. As a result, email providers may be more likely to deliver your emails to their users’ inboxes rather than sending them to spam folders or blocking them entirely. 

Protect your users: 

DMARC can help protect your users from receiving spam or phishing emails that appear to come from your domain. By blocking these emails, you can prevent users from clicking on malicious links or providing the sensitive information to hackers. This can help reduce the risk of cyber-attacks and keep your users safe. 

Reduce spam and phishing: 

Configuring DMARC can reduce the spam and phishing emails sent using your domain. This can help protect your users and improve the overall security of the email ecosystem. By taking steps to secure your domain and prevent its use in spam or phishing attacks, you can contribute to the overall health and security of the email industry. 

In conclusion, DMARC is an essential email authentication protocol that can help protect your domain, improve the deliverability of your legitimate emails, protect your users, and reduce spam and phishing. If you’re responsible for managing email for your organization, make sure to configure DMARC to take advantage of these benefits.

Keep Your Enterprise Safe with DMARC Monitoring

Michelle
dmarc monitoring

In today’s digital world, email is essential for communication and collaboration in the enterprise. However, with the rise of spam, phishing, and other forms of email fraud, protecting the security and integrity of email communications has become more critical than ever.

One of the most effective ways to protect your email communications is by implementing DMARC. It allows organizations to validate the authenticity of email messages and prevent unauthorized parties from sending emails on their behalf.

In addition to implementing DMARC, organizations can also benefit from regular DMARC monitoring. This involves tracking and analyzing the results of DMARC checks for a particular domain, which can provide valuable insights into the overall effectiveness of the DMARC implementation.

The Cost of Not Implementing DMARC Monitoring
Failing to implement DMARC monitoring for your enterprise can have serious consequences. Email fraud can damage your organization’s reputation and credibility and lead to financial losses, legal issues, and even data breaches.

For example, a successful phishing attack can trick employees into revealing sensitive information, such as login credentials or financial data.

The Top 5 Benefits of Implementing DMARC Monitoring
Fortunately, implementing DMARC monitoring can help protect your enterprise from email fraud and the associated risks. Here are the top 5 benefits of DMARC monitoring:

● Improved brand protection and reputation management

● Enhanced detection and prevention of phishing attacks

● Increased visibility into the effectiveness of your DMARC implementation

● Simplified compliance with security regulations and industry standards

● Peace of mind knowing your email communications are secure

How to Get Started with DMARC Monitoring for Your Enterprise
If you are interested in implementing DMARC monitoring for your enterprise, there are a few key steps you can follow to get started:

Identify Key Stakeholders:
Before implementing, you must identify your organization’s key stakeholders and decision-makers. This could include IT staff, security professionals, and senior executives.

Research & Compare Available DMARC Monitoring Solutions:
Many different DMARC monitoring solutions are available on the market, each with unique features and capabilities. Take the time to research and compare different solutions to find the one that best meets your organization’s needs.

Develop a Plan for Implementing DMARC Monitoring:
Once you have selected a DMARC monitoring solution, you will need to develop a plan that should include a timeline, resources needed, and roles and responsibilities.

Monitor & Analyze the Results of DMARC Checks:
It is vital to monitor and analyze the results of DMARC checks regularly. This will provide valuable insights and help you identify potential issues or weaknesses.

Continually Improve your Email Security:
You can improve your email security by updating your DMARC implementation and training employees on email security best practices.