To enhance email security following a whaling attack, which principle should organizations consider for message handling?

Establishing DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) policies is essential for enhancing email security, particularly after a whaling attack, which typically targets high-level executives to steal sensitive information or funds. DMARC helps prevent email spoofing by allowing organizations to specify which email sources are authorized to send messages on their behalf. This mechanism allows receiving email servers to check the authenticity of incoming messages by verifying their origin against the organization’s established policies.

By implementing DMARC, organizations can receive reports on email authentication failures, enabling them to take corrective actions against potential impersonation attempts. This significantly reduces the risk of successful whaling attacks since attackers often rely on deceptive emails that appear to be from legitimate sources. Moreover, when DMARC is set up correctly, it instructs email receivers on how to handle messages that do not pass authentication checks, such as quarantining or rejecting fraudulent emails.

While strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and changing email servers contribute to overall security, they do not specifically address the vulnerabilities in email communications that DMARC targets. Strong passwords and two-factor authentication are effective against unauthorized access, but they do not prevent attacks that leverage legitimate email accounts. Regularly changing email servers without a strategy for email message authentication does not