As awareness about DMARC grows, the numbers of domains that implement DMARC continue to rise. However, it might not be time to be satisfied just yet. Despite the wider outreach of DMARC implementation for domain protection, 3 billion spoofed messages per day still make it to unsuspecting people’s inbox, under the cover of a valid, authentic sender. Adding fire to the flame is the growing reliance on email as the primary mode of communication.
Until we analyze the trends and study concrete figures, we can’t really understand the deepening need for better domain protection.
Why look at DMARC as means of domain protection?
There are many email address providers out there; choosing between them can be overwhelming. When choosing a domain protection service, you should consider several factors such as cost, features, server location, and reliability. A reliable email provider will have a solid record in protecting SPF and DKIM according to strict industry standards. SPF records ensure that communications from your domain lead to a real e-mail address, while DKIM records ensure that messages from your domain can be proven to have come from the right source. DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Compliance) is an email authentication standard that works with two underlying protocols of SPF and DKIM to determine the validity of an email. Using identity alignment and DMARC policies, DMARC SPF and DKIM together contribute towards protecting an organization from having their email domains misused by attackers for sending fraud emails.
Protecting your email domain becomes a graver issue
Domain Protection and Domain Name System (DNS) are vital elements of any security system. However, in most cases the threat actors know that 99.9% of internet users will not be using the most up-to-date tools and techniques. This leaves us open to a lot of potential abuse by actors with less sophisticated intentions. The best way to protect yourself is by always using the most up-to-date protection technologies. This is especially true if you work for a large organization that has an authorized network within your corporate infrastructure or with clients who rely on your services daily. The techniques and tricks may vary, but email still remains the number one attack vector for cybercriminals.
Over 90% of all cyber attacks are carried out through email. The new methods of remote working and offsite logins do nothing to put a dent in these trends. Several employees are working on their personal machines, with lesser security than they are used to at the work quarters. The psychological factor of working from home in a more lenient atmosphere definitely lends a helping hand to hackers who’re just waiting for people to let down their guard.
Moreover, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, email security providers have observed a steep hike in phishing attacks that are geared towards inducing fear and panic over public health.
Phishers are launching attack after attack, the average phishing campaign lasting for as little as 12 minutes, according to Google. Also declared by Google is the fact that they are actively blocking 100 million phishing emails per day.
Key Figures on Domain Protection and DMARC
Domain Protection is a technology implemented by the Domain Name System (DNS) Multi-layer architecture that utilizes several layers of registrar infrastructure information to determine if a client is actually visiting a known legitimate website. The Domain Name System (DNS) is responsible for mission critical functions such as website naming infrastructure maintenance and cyber security policy. Understanding the risk associated with spoofing and other adversaries' technique has always been a top priority for the DNS community and The Domain Name System (DNS) is the backbone of the World Wide Web. It translates domain names into IP addresses and retrieves them from the upstream server when needed.
A Domain Name System (DNS) record is associated with each domain name, and it has two required fields: a Public IP address and a Private IP address. The private part is required if the visitor's connection is not using commonly advertised public services (e.g. your ISP). To keep attackers from spoofing and reading your communications, browsers typically generate additional configuration information during DNS resolution. Some of these stats are encouraging while others are disheartening. However, we foresee a big change on the horizon: DMARC is soon going to be mandatory. Several corporations in the US and Europe have already mandated DMARC implementation, automatically protecting themselves from spoofing attacks and brand tarnishing. There has been a surge in attacks on open source software recently. Malicious actors have started using DMARC protection schemes to hide their identity behind a brand or database. This makes it hard for end users and security researchers to track down the source of attacks.
We noticed a significant increase in the number of DMARC enabled domains affecting Let's Encrypt domains last year. We also noticed an increase in Let's Encrypt relays suffering from failures. Domain protection and related technologies are a hot topic these days. There are many who are enthusiastic about finding out more about these solutions and others who are less enthused because they lack understanding about how they are actually beneficial. We have worked with quite a few UK businesses in this regard and we can confirm that the increased awareness and understanding of potentially risky activities associated with domain name protection has had a positive impact on our recommendations.
These civil engineers are from all sorts of industries but have one thing in common: they love their work! Some are even ambitious about making a difference in the world around them. When these errors occur, users can be locked out of their encrypted web sessions or their sites can be inaccessible. Failing to protect your domain name could cost you a lot of money, including legal fees and fines. Loopholes in the way the web is built mean that anyone can register a domain name with little effort and often with little identification. By contrast, domain protection software guides you through the registration process, ensuring that even high-risk people can be stopped before they get on the net. To help find these weaknesses, we have put together an exclusive report on Domain Protection and DMARC which provides the facts behind these technologies and how they can be used to your advantage.
Why wait till laws are put in place to implement DMARC? Take a look at the features of our DMARC Monitor. We have a step-by-step plan for you, helping you towards maximum domain protection.
Source :-https://atozcybersecurity.blogspot.com/2021/09/findings-on-domain-protection-and-dmarc.html
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