Category: DMARC

dmarc security assessment

Security Assessments for Industrial and Pharmaceutical OEMs

Michelle Leave a comment

Tangent is offering free security assessments for Industrial and Pharmaceutical OEMS. Our security assessment will identify email and domain vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities leave a window open for phishing, business email compromise (BEC) and other email-based attacks using your domain.  

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 security protocols. However, it’s not enough to simply implement DMARC – you need to conduct a DMARC security assessment to ensure that your implementation is effective.

DMARC stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance. It’s 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. 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.

A DMARC security assessment is a comprehensive review of your organization’s DMARC implementation. It involves analyzing your DMARC records, examining your email authentication practices, and testing your DMARC policy to ensure that it’s effective at preventing unauthorized emails from being delivered.

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

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. A DMARC security assessment can help you identify vulnerabilities in your email authentication practices and implement 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 DMARC security assessment can ensure that your DMARC implementation is 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. A DMARC security assessment can identify issues that may be impacting your email deliverability and help you resolve them, ensuring that your legitimate emails are delivered to your customers’ inboxes.

A DMARC security assessment is essential for pharmaceutical and industrial OEM companies that want to protect their brand reputation, ensure regulatory compliance, and improve email deliverability. By conducting a DMARC security assessment, you can identify vulnerabilities in your email authentication practices and implement a stronger DMARC policy that effectively prevents unauthorized emails from being delivered.

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.

dmarc for outlook 365

Is DMARC Necessary for Outlook 365?

Michelle

Outlook 365 is a popular email and productivity platform used by businesses and individuals. While it offers a wide range of features and tools to make managing email and other tasks easier, it is also vulnerable to spam, phishing, and other cyber-attacks. This is where DMARC comes in.

DMARC is a security protocol that helps protect email users from these attacks. It works by authenticating the sender of an email and verifying that the email is being sent from the domain. If the email fails this authentication check, it can be flagged as potentially malicious and either blocked or sent to the recipient’s spam folder.

So, is DMARC necessary for Outlook 365? The short answer is yes, it is highly recommended. 

Here are a few specific reasons why:

Outlook 365 is a high-value target for cyber attackers: 

As a widely used email platform, Outlook 365 is a prime target for spam and phishing attacks. By implementing DMARC, you can help protect yourself and your organization from these types of attacks.

Improve the security of your Outlook 365 account:

By authenticating an email’s sender, DMARC helps ensure that only legitimate emails reach your inbox. This can help prevent you from falling victim to malicious emails that may trick you into giving away sensitive information or downloading malware.

Improve the reputation of your domain:

If your domain is frequently used in spam or phishing attacks, it can damage your reputation and make it more difficult for your emails to reach the recipient’s inbox. By implementing DMARC, you can help protect your domain’s reputation and improve the deliverability of your emails.

Protect against impersonation attacks: 

Impersonation attacks occur when a cyber attacker pretends to be someone else to trick the recipient into divulging sensitive information or performing some other action. DMARC helps protect against these types of attacks by authenticating the sender of an email, making it more difficult for attackers to impersonate someone else on Outlook 365.

Reduce the risk of data breaches: 

Cyber-attacks involving spam and phishing emails are often used to access sensitive data or systems. By implementing DMARC on Outlook 365, you can help reduce the risk of a data breach by blocking or flagging potentially malicious emails.

In summary, DMARC is a security protocol for Outlook 365 and all other email platforms. It helps protect against spam and phishing attacks, improves your account’s security, and protects your domain’s reputation. If you are not currently using DMARC, it is highly recommended that you implement it as soon as possible to help protect your email communications on Outlook 365.

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.

DMARC: Prevent Spoofing and Spam

Michelle

Did you know that more than 3.1 billion domain spoofing emails are sent per day? And over 25% of these get into Office 365, which has over 60 million commercial users.

That means the data of over 15 million people is at risk every day.

Let that sink in.

Even giants like Facebook, Microsoft, and Google aren’t safe from email spoofing. This raises the question: how can you protect your business from spoofing and spam emails that steal your data?

This is where Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) comes in. But how does DMARC protect your business from spoofing emails? Let’s find out.

What Is DMARC?

Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) is a software protocol that takes care of emails that aren’t authenticated by the Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM).

It essentially protects both email senders and recipients from email spoofing, phishing, spam, and impersonation fraud, which is the most common cause of data leaks.

DMARC helps email users specify actions that need to be taken when incoming emails fail SPF and DKIM authentication. It does this by labeling emails that have failed to pass SPF and DKIM protocols.

Prevention Policies: How DMARC Handles Email Spoofing and Spam

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DMARC usually requires domain owners to add a policy (p=) tag in their DMARC record. The tag tells the protocol on how to deal with a suspicious email. There are three types of policy tags you could use to protect yourself against email spoofing and spam:

· The p=none policy — This policy gives users insights into who sent the DMARC-failed email but doesn’t stop the email from entering their inbox.

· The p=quarantine policy — This policy sends DMARC-failed emails into your spam folder, reducing the chance of you opening them.

· The p=reject policy — This policy stops DMARC-failed emails from coming into your inbox entirely. It prevents email spoofing attacks.

How to Implement a DMARC Policy to Handle Email Spoofing and Spam

Here’s a rule to follow: Don’t go too hard too fast. Let us explain. If you implement the p=reject policy directly, you may inadvertently block emails from your colleagues and friends, which can be a huge problem when collaborating on projects.

So, instead of doubling down on all suspicious emails, begin with the p=none policy first, collect data about the percentage of suspicious domains sending you emails, and input the percentage (using the pct option) into a quarantine policy.

For instance, if you find that 20% of the emails you receive are from suspicious domains, you should input that number into your quarantine policy like this: p=quarantine pct=20, which means 20% of the incoming messages will be quarantined.

You can increase this percentage as you become aware of other suspicious domains. Or you can even scrap this policy and instead use the reject policy once you reach the 100% suspicious domain mark. It’s entirely up to you.

DMARC

DMARC: Stop Hackers from Scamming Your Staff

Michelle

DMARC is a security protocol that helps organizations prevent email-based attacks. It stands for “Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance,” and it works by verifying the authenticity of email messages and stopping counterfeit notes from reaching their intended recipients.

DMARC is essential because it can help organizations stop hackers from impersonating their staff and sending out phishing emails that trick people into revealing sensitive information or infecting their computers with malware.

If you’re responsible for email security at your organization, then you need to be familiar with DMARC. In this article, we’ll explain what DMARC is and how it works. We’ll also provide tips on configuring DMARC for your organization.

How does DMARC work?

DMARC is a DNS record that tells your email provider what to do when they receive an email from your domain. When a user sends you an email, their provider will look up the DMARC record for the domain and see if that record exists. If it does not exist, their provider will send the email unread with a bounce message telling them that their message bounced back as spam.

DMARC Links to an external site.is built on top of SPF and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail). SPF detects that the sender has access to your mail server, so you can trust them when sending messages through your server. DKIM uses public-key cryptography to authenticate messages sent from anonymous senders. DMARC adds another layer of security by verifying that the sender has access to your mail server and using public-key cryptography to show messages sent from unknown senders.

DMARC is a relatively new standard, but it is quickly gaining adopters. It is estimated that DMARC now protects over 30% of all email messages.

The benefits of DMARC

  • DMARC is an email authentication that helps organizations to protect their domain from email-based threats.
  • DMARC can help to prevent phishing attacks and other types of email fraud. It works by validating the sender of an email and verifying that the email has not been altered in transit.
  • DMARC also reports emails that fail authentication checks, so organizations can monitor their email security and take action to stop attacks.
  • DMARC, including improved email deliverability, increased security, and better insights into email traffic.

How to set up DMARC for your business?

Setting up DMARC can seem daunting, but it’s relatively simple. DMARC for your business in just a few easy steps.

  1. You’ll need to create a DMARC record for your domain. It is a TXT record that you’ll need to add to your DNS settings.
  2. Once you’ve created your DMARC Links to an external site.record, you’ll need to publish it to your DNS. It will allow recipients to check the legitimacy of emails from your domain.

Tips for preventing phishing attacks

Phishing attacks are a growing problem for businesses and individuals alike. These attacks trick you into giving up sensitive information, such as your passwords or credit card numbers. They can be tough to spot, but there are some things you can do to protect yourself.

Here are a few points to avoid phishing attacks:

  • Be suspicious of unsolicited emails, even if they appear to be from a legitimate source. It’s best to delete it without opening an email.
  • Don’t click on any links present in suspicious emails. These links are designed to steal your information.
  • Don’t reply to suspicious emails. If you do, you could be giving the attackers the information they need to successful phish you.
  • Please don’t enter your login credentials or financial information on a website unless you’re sure it’s a legitimate site. Check for the HTTP:// at the beginning of a website’s URL to ensure it’s a secure site.

It’s also possible by using Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) as an additional layer of security.

Conclusion

DMARC is a powerful tool that can stop hackers from scamming your staff. Hackers can trick your team into giving them sensitive information by sending spoofed emails that look like they’re from you. DMARC can stop these attacks by identifying and blocking spoofed emails. To protect your business, make sure to implement DMARC.

How DMARC Protects Businesses

Michelle

Did you know that one email in every 99 is a phishing attack? Or that around 25 percent of these emails usually make their way into inboxes? 

And the worst thing is that more than 97 percent of people can’t identify what a spam email looks like. So, many of them fall for socially engineered attacks like phishing, scareware, quid pro quo, and baiting. 

Even companies like Google, Facebook, and Target aren’t infallible. That raises the question: how can you protect your business from email phishing and other socially engineered attacks? 

This is where DMARC comes in. But what is DMARC, and how does it protect your business from phishing, email hijacking, or scareware? Let’s break it down. 

What Is DMARC?

Domain-based Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) is a technical protocol that handles emails that aren’t authenticated by DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) and the Sender Policy Framework (SPF). 

It helps protect email senders and recipients from email phishing, spoofing, and impersonation fraud, which can be the source of data breaches and email compromises. DMARC allows domain owners to specify actions that need to be taken when an email fails DKIM and SPF authentication. 

Email receivers can check whether incoming messages have valid DKIM and SPF records and whether they align with the domain of origin. If these messages don’t comply with DKIM and SPF records, they are labeled DMARC-failed. 

How Does DMARC Handle Failed Email? 

You have the option to handle a DMARC-failed message based on three different DMARC policies, including: 

  • The Monitor Policy: p=none – It will provide insights into who sent a DMARC-failed email, but it won’t stop the email from reaching your primary inbox. 
  • The Quarantine Policy: p=quarantine – It will send DMARC-failed emails into the spam folder and DMARC-passed emails into your primary inbox, reducing the harm caused by spam emails.  
  • The Reject Policy: p=reject – It will stop DMARC-failed emails from reaching your inbox entirely, preventing phishing or spoofing attacks.  

4 Ways DMARC Protects Businesses

DMARC aims to protect businesses and users from socially engineered attacks. Here’s how it accomplishes that goal:

  1. It Increases Domain Visibility

DMARC’s monitoring “p=none” policy reports all email activity, so you can assess all the emails sent from your domain, those you received, which emails were authenticated, those that weren’t authenticated, and for what reasons. 

  1. It Only Allows Certain Domains to Send Emails

If attackers use a trusted domain, they can penetrate your company’s defenses and deceive your employees or customers, often causing irreparable damage to your brand image and decreasing brand trust. 

DMARC can prevent that by only allowing authorized IPS to send emails from your domain. 

  1. It Blocks Fraudulent Emails 

DMARC’s reject policy allows you to control whether or not suspicious emails are delivered to your email. So, if a specific email doesn’t pass DKIM and SPF records, you can reject it before it causes problems. 

It also blocks business email compromise (BEC) scams, which occur when criminals impersonate business employees within a company. 

  1. It Increases Legitimate Email Delivery 

As DMARC checks the domains and IPs of every incoming and outgoing email, it ensures that only legitimate emails get delivered to your primary inbox. This prevents phishing, spoofing, and compromise scams. 

The Bottom Line

Hackers are always looking for ways to get into your systems and domains. But DMARC can derail their efforts, saving your business time and money. 

It prevents your company’s email from being used for phishing, scareware, and other social engineering attacks, makes phishing attacks visible, mitigates the impact of malware and phishing attacks, and protects you from BEC scams.

So, ensure your company’s safety and maintain your customers’ trust by getting a DMARC protocol coded into your domain today. 

DMARC

DMARC: A Simple Solution to Avoid Spam

Admin

Are you wondering how DMARC is a simple solution to avoid spam? Here is a thorough explanation of what DMARC is, how it helps to prevent spam, and why your business requires it for security.

What is DMARC?

DMARC stands for Domain-Based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance Solutions, which is used to make email communication safer. DMARC is designed to safeguard the email domain from hackers who use it for many purposes, including email spoofing or phishing scams. 

It continuously monitors the domain’s outgoing email, and the receiving server uses the DMARC data to confirm whether the email is originating from a reliable source or not. DMARC is an email policy layer that ensures that emails fulfill two standards: 

  • DomainKeys identified mail (DKIM)
  • Sender-Policy Framework (SPF)

These two standards ensure that Emails are not including phishing scams and that emails sent from your domain are DMARC-compliant. So, they are not flagged as risky email messages. 

Benefits of Using DMARC

There are several top-notch advantages of using DMARC on your email server. Many brands or even Government organizations are using DMARC for security which even allows: 

  • Gain visibility into the email channel to identify the legit and malicious usage of the domain
  • Make sure legit email is delivering while malicious email is not
  • Get notifications when modifications to the email infrastructure could affect the delivery of legal messages
  • Identify threat sources so that they are prepared to prevent attacks before they happen
  • Boost email reputation score and trust

Why Use DMARC for Email?

Email is included in a number of all network attacks, and without using DMARC, it is quite difficult to identify whether the email is fake or real. DMARC helps the domain owner secure and safeguard their domain from malicious use by fighting CEO fraud, spoofing, or phishing. 

Furthermore, there are more than 5 billion email accounts worldwide, and the email channel is the only one with a larger audience. It ensures that the hackers use this channel for illegal purposes. 

In this situation, compliance (DMARC) adds value. DMARC not only offers comprehensive visibility into email channels and also highlights the phishing scams. DMARC is powerful enough to prevent malware attacks and scams and protect against brand abuse. 

Conclusion

DMARC instructs the receiving servers to verify the authenticity of emails originating from an organization’s domain. Using DMARC, the company can fully understand its email channel and phishing attacks coming from its domain, which was previously only possible after the attacks. However, it plays a great role in securing a domain from malicious threats, which are possible via emails.