How can MFA and DMARC secure your online presence?

Just when you thought your details were safe online, news breaks out about another grave data breach or phishing attack. You’re not alone in this; it is true that more than one million people join the internet every day! In 2024, so far, the damages caused by cyberattacks have reached 9.5 trillion USD globally. 

Guess what? The financial losses caused by these attacks are not even the worst part! They lead to other problems, such as reputational damage and loss of trust among customers and stakeholders. 

So, how can you protect your identity online and ensure that you can conduct business with peace of mind and confidence? Spoiler alert: It’s not your passwords alone that will keep you safe. You need something that is more than a random combination of characters, something complex and robust. 

In this article, we will dig deeper into these defence mechanisms and understand how you can protect your identity online.

Up your password standards

There was a time when you could get away with using simple passwords like ‘123456,’ ‘qwerty123,’ ‘password,’  or ‘abc123.’ You might also have used at least one of them. But now, things are changing, and cybercriminals are becoming smarter than ever; this means such passwords don’t just cut it anymore as they would be cracked in a minute. 

In fact, password standards are no longer what they used to be. When you log in to a new website, you now have to use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, special characters, and a minimum number of characters to create a new password. Yes, sure, such combinations make it difficult for hackers to crack passwords, but that is still not enough to prevent hacking. The truth is that even the most complex passwords can easily be hacked by phishing, data breaches, or simply by guessing using much more sophisticated hacking tools.

Perhaps this is why websites are moving to passphrases. These are stronger and more secure than your regular passwords, as they are longer, easy to remember, and most often only make sense to you (the user). For instance, ‘Surfingholiday23’ is something that a hacker might not be able to crack so easily. They are long, unique, and have personal relevance. 

But there’s a thing: you need to go the extra mile to protect your online presence. Simply setting up complex passwords is not enough! 

Multifactor authentication for an added layer of security 

We have established that passwords alone cannot protect your identity online; how do you ensure that your account remains secure? An added layer of security is the answer! This is where multifactor authentication comes in! This authentication process goes beyond passwords and requires you to go through an additional step of verifying your identity. Whether it is by entering a code, scanning your fingerprint, or using facial recognition, until we reach a passwordless future, we need to rely on these extra steps to keep our accounts safe.

With multifactor authentication, it becomes harder for attackers to gain access to your account, even if they somehow manage to crack/steal your password. This is why most industries, including insurance companies, are now requiring MFA. In fact, now that cyberattacks and damages caused by them are more grave than ever, these companies are now checking if businesses have robust security measures like MFA for logins and DMARC in place. 

But the thing to note is, not all MFA is effective. Cybercriminals have found their way around some forms of MFA through phishing scams. So, if you’re considering deploying multifactor authentication for your organization, look for phishing-resistant MFA options. 

In fact, the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has provided valuable insights on how to deploy stronger MFA, such as recommendations to use phishing-resistant MFA and number matching in MFA applications.

Implementing DMARC for comprehensive security 

To ensure that the outgoing emails are secure and do not carry the risk of cyberattacks, NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology)  published a recommendation in 2019 to implement DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) along with SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail). These tools play a significant role in assuring the receiving mail servers that the incoming emails are indeed from a trusted source. This assurance helps prevent grave threats like phishing and spoofing. 

Moreover, in 2022, CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency), along with NIST, published baseline cybersecurity performance goals. This set of guidelines was designed for IT and operational technology owners and included a set of security practices. One of the main focuses of these CPGs was email security, particularly implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, with an aim to ‘reduce risk from common email-based threats, such as spoofing, phishing, and interception.’

With organizations like NIST and CISA backing the use of DMARC, it is clear that this email authentication protocol is crucial for enhancing email security and ensuring that your data is safe online. When we combine MFA with DMARC, we get an even stronger defence. Together, they help in protecting your domain from unauthorized use and ensure that only legitimate emails are sent.

It’s not just the US that recommends DMARC; the European Union has also put similar email security standards in place, which promote the implementation of DMARC, SPF, and DKIM. 

Keeping your online identity safe

With cyberattacks being at an all-time high, it is clear that no single defence mechanism can completely protect your organization. You need to add layers of defence in your cybersecurity strategy to effectively safeguard your digital assets. For your email communications, implementing protocols like DMARC, SPF, and DKIM is important.

Apart from this, it is always a good idea to enable multifactor authentication to strengthen your account security further. It significantly reduces the chances of unauthorized access or successful cyberattacks. Incorporating these elements can help you build a holistic defense system that safeguards your online identity and your digital assets.

Want to know more about leveraging MFA and DMARC to your advantage? Get in touch with us at DMARCReport to learn more.