Encryption is the process of converting information or data into a code to prevent unauthorized access, ensuring confidentiality and data integrity. It is a fundamental technology in cybersecurity, used in various applications such as securing communications, protecting sensitive data, and verifying identities.
Digital signatures are cryptographic mechanisms that ensure the authenticity and integrity of digital messages or documents by using public key infrastructure. They provide a way to verify the sender's identity and confirm that the content has not been altered since it was signed.
Email transmission is the process of sending electronic messages over a network, typically the internet, using protocols like SMTP, POP3, and IMAP. The process involves multiple steps including message creation, addressing, routing, and delivery, ensuring the message reaches the intended recipient accurately and securely.
Domain-based Message Authentication is a set of standards used to ensure the authenticity and integrity of email messages by verifying the sender's domain through DNS records. It helps prevent email spoofing and phishing by allowing domain owners to publish policies on how to handle unauthorized emails.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is an email authentication method designed to detect forged sender addresses in emails, a technique often used in phishing and email spam. It allows the receiver to check that an email claimed to have come from a specific domain was indeed authorized by the owner of that domain, using cryptographic authentication.
Message Transfer Agent (MTA) security involves protecting the email infrastructure responsible for routing and delivering messages between servers, ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Effective MTA security requires implementing authentication mechanisms, encryption protocols, and anti-spam measures to safeguard against unauthorized access and malicious attacks.
Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) is an email authentication protocol designed to give email domain owners the ability to protect their domain from unauthorized use, such as email spoofing. It works in conjunction with SPF and DKIM to provide a mechanism for receiving email servers to determine if incoming messages align with the policies set by the domain owner and to report back on their findings.