Role of DMARC for Online Brand Protection

1
Role of DMARC for Online Brand Protection

• 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.

2

• 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. 

3
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.

4
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.

5
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.

6
Benefits of DMARC

• Protects brand reputationRegardless 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 threatsDMARC
  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.

7

• Prevents email spoofingEvery 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 deliverabilityEven 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.

8

• 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.