We recently had a troubling experience when one of our clients informed us about an email they supposedly sent, asking to change their bank account information. The email looked legitimate, displaying their full email address in the 'From' section, but we couldn't find any logs of it being sent from our email filtering system or O365. After some investigation, we ruled it as a potential Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack. Has anyone dealt with something like this before, and how can we protect ourselves against such attacks in the future?
5 Answers
Hey, what you experienced sounds more like regular email spoofing. It's pretty easy to fake the 'From' address in emails because SMTP doesn’t authenticate senders by default. If the message didn't pass through your servers, it wouldn't show up in the logs. To protect against this, you should set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, as well as enforce them on your end. It’s essential email hygiene. Without it, spoofing can keep happening.
Absolutely! Defining strict SPF and DKIM rules will dramatically improve your security.
Could it be that direct send is enabled? Many companies don’t realize the risks associated with that option. Disabling it in Exchange Online can help prevent these kinds of attacks.
Yes! If direct send is active and unmonitored, it's like opening a door for scammers.
Came to say exactly that. Disabling it might help mitigate these risks.
This is more common than you'd think, and usually not due to an actual compromise. Spoofing can be easily done if you don’t have proper security measures. Make sure you check the email headers to trace the email's origin; it often reveals the sender was not who they claimed to be.
Good point! I’m always checking headers now after a close call!
Right? The detailed headers can often expose these sorts of scams.
Honestly, this is a classic spoofing attack. It’s alarming, but not very advanced at all. The real concern is that it seems like your company might lack essential email security measures. Look into SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to prevent such spoofed emails from reaching inboxes.
It’s frightening how easily someone can spoof an email. We should be extra cautious with sensitive requests.
Definitely! Also consider setting up an external sender notification to alert employees about potential risks.
Honestly, I’d recommend hiring a cybersecurity expert to help you shore up your defenses. Email spoofing is a straightforward tactic, and without some robust protocols, it can happen easily.
I thought O365 had decent security. Sounds like a setup issue if SPF failed!