Email spoofing is a technique used to impersonate a legitimate and trusted person or entity in spam or phishing attacks. It involves sending emails with a fake sender’s address, and the recipients are tricked into believing that a person or brand they trust is the one sending the emails.
With this technique, spammers forge the email header, which usually contains essential details about an email, such as tracking data, the sender’s name, and security verifications. They may also create an email domain similar to the legitimate sender’s; for example, they may use Ishippingcompany.com instead of 1shippingcompany.com, hoping that the recipients will not notice the difference.
Email spoofing is part of a larger system of phishing attacks called domain spoofing. This involves attempting a fake website name to get people to do what they want without noticing that they are attackers. Sometimes, people end up blaming the legitimate website for their experiences with these attackers. Email spoofing can tarnish the image of the assumed sender and cause many other troubles, so people must be wary of it to stay safe.
How to Prevent Email Spoofing
Implement Email Authentication Protocols
Various authentication protocols can work together to prevent email spoofing and keep users safe from attackers. These protocols include Sender Policy Framework (SPF), Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM)
Use Email Filters
As simple as email filters may seem, they can effectively limit many suspicious emails and prevent them from getting to the recipients. They detect and filter spam emails and continue blocking messages from known spoofed email addresses.
Use a Secure Email Provider
Use a trusted and secure email provider with advanced security measures to protect yourself from phishing attacks and all forms of email spoofing.
Educate Users
When people do not know about email spoofing, they can easily fall victim to it. One way to prevent email spoofing is to enlighten people about it and teach them how to identify suspicious emails.