How Effectively Prevent Email Spoofing Attacks in 2021

Email spoofing is a growing problem for an organization's security. Spoofing occurs when a hacker sends an email that appears to have been sent from a trusted source/domain. Email spoofing is not a new concept. Defined as "the forgery of an email address header to make the message appear as if it was sent from a person or location other than the actual sender," it has plagued brands for decades.

When an email is sent, the From address doesn't show which server the email was actually sent from - instead, it shows the domain that was entered when the address was created so as not to arouse suspicion among recipients.

With the amount of data flowing through email servers these days, it should come as no surprise that spoofing is a problem for businesses. At the end of 2020, we found that phishing incidents were up a staggering 220% year-over-year at the height of the global pandemic scare.

Since not all spoofing attacks are large-scale, the actual number could be much higher. The year is 2021, and the problem seems to be getting worse every year. For this reason, brands are using secure protocols to authenticate their emails and avoid the malicious intent of threat actors.

Email Spoofing: what is it, and how does it work?

Email spoofing is used in phishing attacks to trick users into believing the message is from a person or entity they either know or can trust. A cybercriminal uses a spoofing attack to trick recipients into believing that the message is from someone who is not. In this way, attackers can cause you harm without being able to trace it. If you see an email from IRS that says your refund was sent to another bank account, it may be a spoofing attack.

Phishing attacks can also occur via email spoofing. This is a fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details (PIN numbers), often for malicious purposes. The term comes from "fishing" for a victim by pretending to be trustworthy.

With SMTP, outgoing messages are assigned a sender address by the client application; outbound email servers have no way of knowing if the sender address is legitimate or spoofed. Therefore, email spoofing is possible because the email system used to represent email addresses provides no way for outbound servers to verify the legitimacy of the sender's address.

For this reason, large companies in the industry are opting for protocols such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to authorize their legitimate email addresses and minimize impersonation attacks.

Breaking down the anatomy of an Email Spoofing Attack

Each email client uses a specific application program interface (API) to send an email. Some applications allow the user to configure the sender address of an outgoing message from a drop-down menu of email addresses. However, this capability can also be accessed through scripts written in any language. Each open email message has a sender address that displays the address of the originating user's email application or service. By reconfiguring the application or service, an attacker can send an email on behalf of anyone.

Let's just say that it is now possible to send thousands of fake messages from an authentic email domain! Also, you don't have to be an expert programmer to use this script. Threat actors can edit the code to their liking and start sending a message using someone else's email domain. This is exactly how an email spoofing attack is perpetrated.

Email Spoofing as a vector for Ransomware

Email spoofing paves the way for malware and ransomware to spread. If you don't know what Ransomware is, it is malicious software that permanently blocks access to your sensitive data or system and demands a sum of money (ransom) in exchange for decrypting your data again. Ransomware attacks cause businesses and individuals to lose tons of money and suffer huge data breaches.

DMARC and email authentication also act as the first line of defense against ransomware by protecting your domain from the malicious intent of spoofers and impersonators.

Threats to small, medium, and large businesses

Brand identity is critical to the success of a business. Customers are attracted to recognizable brands and rely on them for consistency. But cybercriminals exploit this trust by any means necessary, jeopardizing your customers' security at risk with phishing emails, malware, and email spoofing activities.

The average organization loses between $20 million and $70 million per year to email fraud. It's important to note that spoofing can also include violations of trademark rights and other intellectual property, causing significant damage to a company's reputation and credibility, in the following two ways:

• • Your partners or esteemed customers may open a fake email and end up having their confidential information compromised. Cybercriminals can inject ransomware into their system through fake emails impersonating you, resulting in financial losses. Therefore, the next time they may hesitate to open your legitimate emails as well, causing them to lose trust in your brand.

  • Recipients' email servers can flag your legitimate emails as spam and put them in the junk folder due to poor server reputation, drastically affecting your email deliverability.

Either way, without an ounce of doubt, your customer-facing brand will end up being affected by all the complications. Despite the best efforts of the experts at IT, 72% of all cyberattacks begin with a malicious email, and 70% of all data breaches involve social engineering tactics to spoof corporate domains - making email authentication methods like DMARC a critical priority.

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1.email spoofing은 수신자 개인정보 탈취를 위해이메일을 믿을만한 발신자로부터 온 것으로 속여 보내는 것.

2.email spoofing은 malware와 ransomware 공격으로로 이어질 수 있다.

3.대체로 발신자를 기업으로 속이는 만큼, email spoofing은 브랜드의 신뢰를 떨어트리고, 손해를 불러온다.

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느낀점 : 이메일 스푸핑은 워낙 악명 높고, 고전적인 방식이기에 이메일 수신자가 이를 잘 경계하고 있다면 거의 문제 없을 것이라 단순하게만 생각하고 있었는데, 기업의 브랜드가치가 떨어진다는 관점은 생각해보지 못했다. 문제를 다각적 시선으로 보는 습관을 들여야 할 것 같다.