Email Security & Anti-Phishing

Email is the most common entry point for cyberattacks. It’s also the one most businesses treat as already handled.

Every email platform ships with some level of spam filtering. Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace both include baseline protections. And so most businesses assume email security is covered because something is running — without examining what that something actually catches and what it doesn't.

The attacks that cause serious damage aren't generic spam. Business Email Compromise — where an attacker impersonates a vendor, a client, or an executive to authorize a fraudulent wire transfer — looks legitimate by design. Spear phishing targets specific individuals with emails crafted from publicly available information. Malicious attachments and links are increasingly hosted on legitimate platforms specifically to avoid detection by standard filters.

Effective email security requires layered controls: proper authentication records that stop domain spoofing at the sending level, advanced filtering that analyzes content and context rather than just matching known threat signatures, and link protection that evaluates destinations at the time of click rather than at the time of delivery.

What's covered

• Email authentication configuration — SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records properly implemented and set to enforcement, not just monitoring
• Advanced email filtering beyond platform defaults — content analysis, sender reputation, behavioral signals, and attachment sandboxing
• Anti-phishing controls including impersonation protection, display name spoofing detection, and lookalike domain identification
• Safe Links — URL rewriting and time-of-click evaluation to catch links that were clean at delivery but resolve to malicious destinations
• Safe Attachments — detonation sandbox for attachments before delivery to the recipient
• Business Email Compromise (BEC) detection including unusual sending patterns, payment request flags, and executive impersonation alerts
• Quarantine management and user-reported phishing review
• Email security configuration documentation maintained as part of your security program records
• Monthly reporting on blocked threats and filter performance

Why this matters for your compliance program

Email is how client financial data, protected health information, and sensitive business communications move through your organization every day. It's also the most common vector for the credential theft, malware delivery, and social engineering attacks that lead to reportable breaches.

FTC Safeguards and HIPAA both require technical safeguards for the transmission of sensitive information and documented controls against unauthorized access. A properly configured email security stack — with authentication enforcement and advanced filtering — is one of the most direct implementations of those requirements. Firms that experience a breach traced to a phishing email with no documented email security controls have a very short conversation with their insurer about coverage.