Technical Defenses Against Phishing
Technical Defenses Against Phishing
Layered technical controls provide essential protection:
Email Authentication Protocols:
SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Validates that emails come from authorized servers. Organizations publish SPF records specifying which servers can send email on their behalf.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Uses cryptographic signatures to verify email integrity and authenticity. This ensures emails haven't been tampered with in transit.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication): Builds on SPF and DKIM, providing policy enforcement and reporting. Organizations can specify how receivers should handle unauthenticated emails.
Advanced Email Security Solutions:
Sandboxing: Suspicious attachments and links are detonated in isolated environments to observe behavior before delivery. This catches zero-day malware that signature-based systems miss.
URL Rewriting and Time-of-Click Protection: Links are replaced with safe versions that check reputation at the moment of clicking, not just delivery. This protects against links that become malicious after delivery.
Machine Learning Analysis: AI systems analyze writing patterns, metadata, and behavioral indicators to identify sophisticated phishing attempts that rule-based systems miss.
Internal Tagging: Emails from external sources are clearly marked, helping users identify potential impersonation attempts.