How Phishing Paves the Way for Ransomware Attacks?

Hyperconnectivity is one of the key determinants of the digital world. This means that nothing exists in isolation, not even the cybersecurity attacks that impend over this space. This is particularly true for phishing and ransomware attacks.  The synergy between the two cyberattacks is executed through the initial success of phishing, which allows ransomware to…

Middle East is Ahead of other Nations in Adopting SPF, DKIM, and DMARC

Middle East is Ahead of other Nations in Adopting SPF, DKIM, and DMARC

The Middle East is outshining other nations with its remarkable commitment to email security. Starting February 1, 2024, both Google and Yahoo mandated SPF and DKIM for bulk senders, while companies sending out over 5,000 emails per day are also required to have DMARC in place. While other nations are still making slower moves, almost…

SPF Flattening vs. SPF Macros: Choosing the Right Approach for Your Organization

Email authentication standards are maturing and now, the SPF protocol also has some new elements to add to its list; we are talking about the SPF flattening technique and SPF macros. These relatively newer features offer an alternative approach to address the complexities linked with email authentication and deliverability.  This blog discusses SPF flattening and…

When Should You Rotate Your DKIM Keys?

DKIM key rotation is an important security measure that ensures your DKIM records and email ecosystem aren’t exploited for long if keys are compromised. While the frequency of rotation depends on the nature of your organization, the complexity level of your email infrastructure, the availability of resources, etc., it’s suggested that you rotate them at…

SPF Best Practices for Protection Against Email Spoofing and Phishing; A Guide for CISOs

Emails are important yet one of the most vulnerable strings of corporate communication. Not to forget how AI-written sophisticated emails are making it more challenging for CISOs to deploy filters to detect and burn illegitimate emails. Gone are the days when detecting poor grammar, inconsistencies, unprofessional graphics, etc., was enough to tag an email as…

Sender Policy Framework Error Code 550- What Prompts it?

Sender Policy Framework Error Code 550- What Prompts it?

Sender Policy Framework allows domain owners to specify all the IP addresses that they allow to be used for sending emails. They can instruct recipients how to deal with emails sent from unauthorized IP addresses. However, sometimes, their SPF record encounters error code 550– which can prompt due to several reasons. At times, it prompts…

The UK’s Central Digital and Data Office Solved a Unique Problem with Sender Policy Framework

The UK’s Central Digital and Data Office Solved a Unique Problem with Sender Policy Framework

In 2022, the Securing Government Services team at the Central Digital and Data Office came across an interesting problem with SPF. The team found a small bug with how UK government domains’ administrators managed the Sender Policy Framework or SPF records. SPF is an email authentication protocol that ensures only emails sent from trusted and…

Including Third-Party Vendors in Your SPF Record is Important; Here’s How It’s Done

Including Third-Party Vendors in Your SPF Record is Important; Here’s How It’s Done

Businesses outsource many tasks to third-party vendors, and if they send emails on your behalf, it’s important you make them a part of your SPF record. Otherwise, the situation will lead to email deliverability issues, which may go unnoticed for a long time, hampering communication, productivity, and operations at multiple levels. Also, ensure the team…

AI Automation is Enabling CISOs and Their Teams to Be Quick and Accurate

AI Automation is Enabling CISOs and Their Teams to Be Quick and Accurate

Tech experts say that AI won’t replace humans any time soon. This is true. However, AI is empowering humans to automate easy and voluminous tasks, allowing them to utilize their time and focus on something more concrete to their cybersecurity strategies.  AI tools are being widely used in the cybersecurity field for filtering out large…

How to Fix “550 5.7 0 Email Rejected Per SPF Policy”

How to Fix “550 5.7 0 Email Rejected Per SPF Policy”

Email deliverability is one of the most pertinent struggles that most organizations struggle with. The hardest part about this is getting to the root cause of your emails not landing in the recipient’s inbox. Among all the reasons that impact your email deliverability, “550 5.7.0 Email Rejected Per SPF Policy” stands out as a significant…