3 pillars of Email Security-DKIM, SPF, and DMARC

1. 3 pillars of Email Security-DKIM, SPF, and DMARC The email has become the go-to method of communication for both personal and business use. However, with this increase in usage comes an increase in security threats. These days, it’s more important than ever to protect your email account from Spam, phishing attacks, and other malicious activity. Fortunately, there are a few key steps you can take to safeguard your account. In this blog post, we will explore three of the most important pillars of email security: DKIM, SPF, and DMARC. By implementing these measures, you can help to keep your account safe and secure. Meaning of DKIM, SPF, and DMARC 1. What is DKIM?

2. DKIM (Domain Keys Identified Mail) is an email validation system designed to detect forged sender addresses in emails (email spoofing), a technique often used by phishers and spammers. DKIM allows participating organizations to sign their outgoing email with a digital signature that can be verified by the receiving organization, thus providing some assurance that the email is from a legitimate source. 2. What is SPF? SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is an email validation system designed to detect forged sender addresses in emails (email spoofing), a technique often used by phishers and spammers. SPF allows receiving organizations to check whether the email purporting to come from a particular domain was actually sent from an IP address authorized by that domain's administrators. 3. What is DMARC? DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) is an email authentication, policy, and reporting protocol built on top of the existing DKIM and SPF protocols. DMARC adds two key features: 1) it specifies how receiving organizations should handle emails that fail DKIM or SPF authentication, and 2) it provides a mechanism for receiving organizations to report back to senders about messages that were authenticated or failed authentication attempts. How DKIM, SPF, and DMARC are Related The three domain validation methods, DKIM, SPF, and DMARC, are all used to authenticate email. They each serve a different purpose but are related in the sense that they can be used together to provide the highest level of email security. DKIM uses digital signatures to verify that an email message has not been tampered with during transit. SPF checks the IP address of the sender against a list of approved IP addresses. DMARC uses both DKIM and SPF to verify that an email is from a legitimate source and has not been spoofed. When all three domain validation methods are used together, they provide a high level of email security that is difficult to spoof or tamper with. This makes it more likely that emails will be delivered to the intended recipient and increases the chances that important messages will not be missed or deleted. Why DKIM, SPF, and DMARC are 3 pillars of Email Security The current state of email security is somewhat of a paradox. The web is used by more than 3.5 billion people at this point. Some of the most important aspects of our digital lives are connected to email (think password resets, bank statements, healthcare records, etc.). And yet, while its

3. prevalence grows, email remains one of the least secure communication channels around. PRIVATE Email servers are not secure against malicious bots and scripts. As more consumers embrace their digital lives and manage more than just their social media accounts, email remains a critical tool for firms. However, emails can also be used to scam and phish people, which is why it is crucial to take email security seriously. On `average business loses $2.7 million from email fraud each year, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. Email security is a big deal, and this has spurred the industry to create solutions for email authentication, like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. We dug into each of these authentication standards and how they might affect your email security strategy in 2023. DKIM, SPF, and DMARC are the 3 email security protocols that work in tandem to help prevent phishing attacks. We explain how they work and why you should consider implementing them. The world of email security is not one that you can afford to take lightly. According to the latest Spam Report, over 98% of all emails are spam. Email security is imperative to protect your hard-earned online reputation and ensure that your email accounts don’t become a source of spam themselves. The good news is that all three parts of good email security are easy to implement and are already built into Gmail. To know more about Dmarc and other services visit our Website or contact us.