With such a heavy reliance on email for internal and external business communication, being safeguarded is a necessary measure to ensure your company’s interests are protected against harmful phishing attacks. As a quick refresher, email phishing is when a third-party (usually a hacker or malicious website) uses the brand identity of a company to deceive a user into divulging sensitive information. The negative effects of an employee falling victim to a phishing scam are varied and damaging to your brand’s reputation. Thankfully, protocols such as DMARC and SPF are available to help combat email attacks. Now that we know the what’s, let’s discuss the why.

Why Using DMARC and SPF on Mail Servers Is Necessary

The original standards for email were written without much regard to security. An obvious oversight, this lack of detail made it possible—though inadvisable—for individuals and businesses alike to deploy mail servers without any protection. (A frightening thought nowadays.)

However, email authentication has made great strides in securing mail servers in the fight against hackers and online criminals. When correctly configured, DMARC can recognize and halt the most convincing fraudulent emails in their tracks. SPF also plays a key role in email delivery by letting you control who sends messages on your company’s behalf.

By the Numbers

Fortunately, industries as a whole are implementing these authentication tools to offset the increasing number of phishing scams, with 80% of all federal domains currently publishing a DMARC record. Compared to only 50% a year ago, this rise reflects a positive shift in the way entities should treat email threats. Granted, this initiative is a federally mandated security measure, but the fact our government leaders are relying on DMARC for email security says it all.

On the other hand, in the United States, only Fortune 500 companies and large technology businesses have a DMARC adoption rate of 50% or higher. This percentage can likely be attributed to the ability of the respective IT departments to handle such a task. Overall, with a mere 28% of Fortune 500 companies utilizing DMARC at the end of 2017, the jump to nearly double that number is great progress. Therefore, the other 50% of companies yet to implement DMARC into their email security protocols is viewed as an area of improvement.

Next Steps with MxToolbox

If your business falls in the category of non-DMARC compliant, MxToolbox advises you to use this beneficial email tool to improve delivery rates and stop the onset of malicious phishing attacks. With SPF being a vital cog of the DMARC protocol, introducing that aspect to your business email practice is also highly recommended. Phishing and other scams are preventable, so why not take the fight to them? After all, your brand reputation relies on keeping your customer communications secure and legitimate. Contact our expert team to discuss your DMARC and SPF options to safeguard your messages.