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Targeted email attacks—often called spear‑phishing—are engineered to look like legitimate communication, making them notoriously hard to detect and stop.
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Spear‑phishing targets a specific individual or organization with personalized content, whereas generic phishing casts a wide net with generic messages. The tailored approach increases the likelihood of the victim clicking or responding.
Attackers harvest publicly available data—social media profiles, company websites, and news articles—to build a convincing narrative. This research can continue indefinitely without alerting the target, giving attackers a perfect setup before the actual email lands.
SMTP, the backbone of email delivery, was designed for speed, not security. It doesn’t verify the sender’s identity, allowing attackers to spoof domains easily. Without authentication layers, recipients can’t easily tell a fake from a real message.
Even well‑trained employees can slip up when an email feels personal or urgent. Social engineering exploits emotions like fear, curiosity, or greed, making it hard to rely solely on awareness training.
DMARC combines SPF and DKIM results to verify that an email really originates from the claimed domain. When a domain enforces a DMARC reject policy, unauthenticated messages are blocked before reaching the inbox.
SPF (Sender Policy Framework) lets domain owners publish a list of authorized sending servers. Receiving mail servers check this list; if the sender isn’t authorized, the email can be rejected or flagged. Learn more at Palisade SPF tool.
DKIM adds a cryptographic signature to each outgoing email. The receiving server uses the public key published in DNS to verify the signature, ensuring the message hasn’t been altered. See Palisade’s DKIM checker for details.
BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) displays a verified brand logo next to authenticated emails, giving recipients a visual cue of legitimacy. Implement BIMI with Palisade’s BIMI service.
1. Deploy DMARC with a reject policy.
2. Configure SPF and DKIM for all sending sources.
3. Use a secure email gateway to scan attachments and links.
4. Conduct regular phishing simulations and training.
5. Monitor DMARC reports to identify unauthorized sources.
New services, partners, or cloud platforms often add sending sources. Ongoing monitoring and updating of SPF/DKIM records ensure that only legitimate servers can send mail on your behalf.
Targeted email attacks succeed because they blend technical spoofing with human psychology. Strengthening email authentication (DMARC, SPF, DKIM, BIMI) and maintaining vigilant user training are the best defense.
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