Based on DMARC and State of Email Security 2020 data, the rising global use of DMARC suggests that organizations are recognizing the value of the standard in combating brand impersonation in phishing emails.
In 2019, the number of domains utilizing DMARC nearly increased to around 2 million. Adoption is widespread across all industrial areas. As more businesses adopt the DMARC standard, the pressure on laggards to catch up will increase. While useful, DMARC is merely one component of a full online brand protection approach.
Most firms are concerned about online brand protection as they increasingly rely on the web, email, and social media to connect with customers and the general public, leaving them open to online impersonation and other attacks. While no one solution can fix the problem, DMARC can assist by stopping criminal actors from sending phishing emails that seem to be from well-known companies. As a result, DMARC is a critical component of a plan to safeguard an organization's email communications, customers, and reputation.
Role of Awareness Programs
DMARC can prevent typical forms of phishing emails that imitate a company's internet domain in an attempt to fool unwary consumers into clicking on malicious links, downloading malware, or paying fraudsters. A firm may discover who is impersonating its brand in email communications by adding a DMARC record to its internet domain information, and it can block such messages from reaching users.
Each company establishes a policy inside its DMARC record that instructs other businesses' email systems on what to do when they receive fraudulent emails impersonating its domain: whether to report them but otherwise do nothing, quarantine them in a spam folder, or reject them entirely.
Worldwide Recognition and Pressure to Adopt DMARC
DMARC has become the industry standard for domain cleanliness. The majority of firms will find it simpler to implement DMARC than early adopters of the standard.
As more businesses use DMARC, laggards will face increasing pressure to catch up. When more domains are secured, the unprotected ones will be targeted more frequently or will become more appealing targets for abuse. Slow adopters will follow if there are less barriers to establishing DMARC and a greater case for utilizing it.
Role of Government Institutions in Popularising DMARC
Many of the early users of DMARC for online brand protection were firms that were regularly impersonated or had an especially pressing need for their email communications to be trusted. This includes major technology companies, which are among the most impersonated businesses on the internet. It also involves governments, who are increasingly relying on digital channels to connect with their constituents. Government entities are required to enforce DMARC in the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway, Australia, and the Netherlands. It is considered an excellent practice in the EU.
Benefits of DMARC
- Protects brand reputation
Regardless of the size or breadth of the organization, cybercriminals will attempt to spoof websites and leverage a brand's internet presence for illegal conduct. DMARC safeguards brand integrity by keeping the brand name out of an attacker's arsenal of forged email domains. - Provides more insight into cyber threats
DMARC allows organizations to keep track of all authorized and non-authorized third parties who send emails on their behalf, ensuring compliance with security best practices. - Prevents email spoofing
Every corporation wants to keep its domain safe from spoofing attacks. While this is advantageous to internal personnel, it also stops spammers from using the organization's domain to attack or impersonate other organizations. SPF and DKIM are two tools that can aid in this process. DMARC can be established after these two are in place. - Increases email deliverability
Even genuine emails may find up in spam folders or quarantines, which can be problematic when the emails include sensitive medical information or other critical data. DMARC adds further confidence that emails sent by a given organization are genuine, improving deliverability to inboxes while also reducing spam.
DMARC can aid in the prevention of some of the most frequent forms of phishing emails, which can affect a brand's customers and reputation. However, the majority of companies have a multifaceted and developing digital presence that includes not only the web and email but also social media and other communication channels. DMARC is useful, but it is only one component of a well-rounded online brand protection plan.
Original source: https://www.reddit.com/user/emailauth-io/comments/s0gca7/role_of_dmarc_for_online_brand_protection/
