How secure is your business domain? You’d assume pretty secure, right? But what if it isn't? What if it can be spoofed?
The trouble is, noticing that someone is spoofing your domain - and by spoofing we mean someone impersonating your company, pretending to be your business and confusing your customers/clients by sending out fake information, and maybe trying to extract data from them - is not easy.
But measures should be taken to identify this risk, because your reputation is at stake here.
Your domain will have a security rating, and there are various websites available with a quick search of “domain security” that will check if your domain name is protected against phishing, spoofing, fraud, and impersonation, giving you a full analysis of your domain email security authentication status.
But just how do attackers spoof your domain? By using a forged identity of a legitimate source, allowing them to impersonate or masquerade as your business.
Hackers could exploit a gap in your email security. This enables them to almost clone your domain, and this is how they can send emails to all your recipients, potentially containing malware or phishing techniques.
Domain verification was not built into the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), the protocol on which email is based, so get it checked out and get it secured. It’s imperative that businesses use a secure connection to protect their brand.
Last year, it was reported that brand impersonation accounted for 81% of all phishing attacks, and this is predicted to double by the end of 2021, which is scary reading. Therefore, email security is paramount and should be something high on your agenda as a business owner.
Small businesses and SMEs are at risk of being impersonated, contrary to popular belief. Size isn’t important to attackers, email vulnerability is. So a business with inadequate domain security could be a target.
Reporting
Report all Fraud and Cybercrime to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or online. Forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk. Report SMS scams by forwarding the original message to 7726 (spells SPAM on the keypad).
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