Email: The #1 Attack Vector
91% of cyberattacks begin with a phishing email. Business Email Compromise (BEC) alone cost businesses $2.7 billion in 2024. Email security is not optional — it's a critical business function.
Technical Defenses
- SPF: Specifies which mail servers can send email on behalf of your domain.
- DKIM: Adds a digital signature to emails, verifying they weren't tampered with in transit.
- DMARC: Tells receiving servers what to do with emails that fail SPF/DKIM (reject, quarantine, or none).
# DMARC record
_dmarc.yourcompany.com TXT "v=DMARC1; p=reject; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourcompany.com; pct=100"User Training
Technical controls catch most phishing attempts, but user awareness catches the rest. Conduct monthly phishing simulations. Teach employees to verify sender addresses, hover over links before clicking, and report suspicious emails immediately.
Business Email Compromise Prevention
Implement dual-approval for wire transfers and payment changes. Verify payment change requests via phone call to a known number. Never trust email-only instructions for financial transactions.