Understanding the Impact of Email Security on Deliverability

Blog

Understanding the Impact of Email Security on Deliverability

Email security and deliverability are closely intertwined. A strong email security posture can significantly enhance your email deliverability, while a weak one can lead to your emails landing in spam folders or being blocked entirely. Email deliverability is crucial to any company for email marketing.

The Basics of Email Security

Email security involves safeguarding email communication from various threats, including:

  • Malware: Malicious software attached to emails that can infect your devices.
  • Phishing Attacks: Deceptive emails designed to steal sensitive information.
  • Spam: Unwanted, unsolicited emails.
  • Spoofing: Disguising an email as coming from a legitimate source.

The Impact of Poor Email Security on Deliverability

Poor email security can lead to a variety of deliverability issues:

  • Blacklisting: Your IP address or domain may be added to blacklists maintained by email providers. This will cause emails you send to either be blocked or end up in Junk.
  • Spam Filtering: Your emails may be filtered as spam and never reach the intended recipients.
  • Reduced Sender Reputation: A poor sender reputation can negatively impact your email deliverability.

Key Email Security Practices to Improve Deliverability

  1. Strong Authentication:
    • DMARC (Domain-Based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance): A powerful email authentication protocol that helps protect your domain from spoofing.
    • SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Specifies which servers are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain.
    • DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): A cryptographic signature that verifies the authenticity of an email.
  2. Regular Security Updates:
    • Keep your email servers, clients, and other related software up-to-date with the latest security patches.
    • This helps protect against vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit.
  3. Strong Password Policies:
    • Enforce strong, unique passwords for all email accounts.
    • Consider using multi-factor authentication for added security.
  4. User Education and Training:
    • Educate your users about email security best practices, such as recognizing phishing attempts and avoiding suspicious attachments.
    • Train them to report any suspicious emails to the IT department.
    • Training should ideally be done twice a year but at a minimum of once a year
  5. Email Filtering and Scanning:
    • Implement robust email filtering and scanning solutions to block spam, malware, and phishing attacks.
    • This will help protect your users from account takeover.
  6. Regular Security Audits:
    • Conduct regular security audits to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.
    • This includes reviewing email security policies, procedures, and configurations.
    • This should be done at a minimum of once a year.

How DMARC Improves Email Deliverability

DMARC is a critical tool for improving email deliverability. By implementing DMARC, you can:

  • Prevent Spoofing: Protect your domain from being used for phishing attacks and spam.
  • Enhance Sender Reputation: Improve your sender reputation by demonstrating that you are taking steps to protect your domain.
  • Increase Email Deliverability: By reducing the number of spoofed emails, DMARC can help your legitimate emails reach their intended recipients.

Best Practices for Implementing DMARC

  1. Publish a DMARC Record: Create a DMARC record in your DNS to specify your domain’s authentication policies.
  2. Start with a Monitoring Policy: Begin with a monitoring policy to track potential spoofing attempts without blocking any legitimate email.
  3. Implement SPF and DKIM: Ensure that your SPF and DKIM records are correctly configured to work with DMARC.
  4. Gradually Increase the Strictness of Your DMARC Policy: As you gain confidence in your authentication infrastructure, you can gradually increase the strictness of your DMARC policy to block more spoofed emails.
  5. Monitor DMARC Reports: Regularly review DMARC reports to identify and address any issues.
  6. Utilize a third party service: Third party services can greatly reduce the amount of time spent monitoring DMARC reports. Consider using one of these services.

Conclusion

By prioritizing email security and implementing best practices, you can significantly improve your email deliverability and protect your brand reputation. A strong security posture not only safeguards your email communication but also enhances your overall online presence.

Remember, email security is an ongoing process. Stay informed about the latest threats and vulnerabilities, and continuously adapt your security measures to stay ahead of cybercriminals.