The Business Email Security Blog

Password Spraying: How hackers compromise your email server

A threat worth understanding Email administrators are constantly dealing with the looming threat of authentication attacks. When an account has been compromised, it can be used for phishing, spam, malware distribution, and other illegal activity. If you’re running an email server, this could have many implications — including getting blacklisted. One of the most common authentication attacks is the password spraying attack. By understanding what password spraying is and how it works, you can defend your server more effectively. What is password spraying? Password spraying is a type of authentication attack where hackers select a few passwords to try against…

Safe vs Weak Passwords: Could you be hacked in the next 5 minutes?

Why do people use weak passwords? It’s no secret that most people prioritize convenience over security. When it comes to passwords, people like to use their cat’s name or their birthday — something easy to remember. They also don’t want to remember a bunch of different passwords, so they recycle that same password and use it everywhere. When weak passwords are the preference, security becomes an oversight. How hackable is my password? That depends. If you are using an email platform, any random combination of letters and numbers probably won’t get hacked as long as you don’t use the same…

How a Chilean Hosting Company Reduced Support Calls and Improved Email Services by Partnering with MagicSpam

When you think of hosting, Chile may not be the first country that springs to mind. However, there is a company there that is quietly becoming a powerhouse in the region. Tecnoera is an Internet Service Provider and Hosting Company that offers Web Hosting, along with Data Center and Cloud Solutions. With offices in Chile and Peru, Tecnoera services the Government, Mining, Enterprise, SMB, and Telecommunication sectors all across Latin America with over 20 years of experience. Their hosting division under the brand NetExplora has two data centers in Santiago and Viña del Mar. Like with many other companies —…

What’s new in MagicSpam? (Q4 2022 Edition)

More ways to protect yourself against inbound spam! From our talks with you, our email administrator brethren — a common thread emerged around rejecting spam using more types of data at different stages in the email delivery process. This makes absolute sense as access to even more comprehensive spam protection does not only make you a more effective email administrator but also keeps your email users happy and secure. With that in mind, we designed the release around this concept to unlock more great value for you. Connection Protection Block early right at the connection stage. Not only can you…

Hosting Predictions for 2023: 5 Trends Fueling the Industry’s Growth

The past couple of years have changed the landscape in many industries and web hosting is no exception. The massive shift to remote work has increased the need for web hosting resources as businesses started prioritizing their online presence. With physical stores and offices facing restrictions during the pandemic, the Internet has provided an opportunity for businesses to continue operating. Web hosting companies played a central role in enabling them to do so, providing key resources for companies to build websites and e-commerce platforms. Keeping the pace with the increased demand, the industry continues to grow in the post-pandemic period.…

What the FBI Internet Crime Report Tells us on Email Security

Cybercrime broke new records in 2021 with a 68% increase in the number of reported data breaches and 148% more ransomware attacks compared to 2020. These are just some of the figures that illustrate the severity of the threat and help raise awareness of the problem. Another comprehensive resource for observing the state of cybercrime in the United States is Internet Crime Report 2021 by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). As a division formed to “provide the American public with a direct outlet to report cybercrime to the FBI”, IC3 has immediate insights into online users’ cybercrime complaints.…

How PTR Records, A Records, and MX Records can Affect Email Server Deliverability

In the previous article we talked about what PTR records, A records, and MX records are. This article will explain how misconfiguration of these DNS records could negatively impact the functionality of your Email Server. Why PTR records are Important for Email Servers Networks or servers may utilize PTR records to help determine whether a connection from a particular IP is wanted. This should be important to Email Server operators, as it could affect the ability to connect, and therefore the ability to send email. Having a PTR record that doesn’t look like unwanted traffic will improve your Email Server’s…

Email Server Basics: PTR Records, A Records, and MX Records

This is the first article in a two-part series that will go over some basic DNS records important for Email Servers. The next article in the series will talk about why these DNS records are important for the proper functioning of Email Servers. Internet Protocol (IP) addresses allow us a way to connect to other devices on the internet. For example, the ‘device’ behind a particular IP address could be an Email Server. Email Servers are usually servers that can send, receive, and store email. To represent your device properly on the internet as an Email Server, you’ll need to…

Dark Web Price Index: The Cost of Email Data

For the majority of online users, the Dark Web is a mysterious part of the Internet associated with illicit trading and cybercrime. Despite the fact it constitutes only 6% or the total Internet, it is a highly dynamic ecosystem that constantly grows. According to EarthWeb, the Dark Web saw record-breaking growth in 2020 and now consists of 3,000 hidden websites consuming 75,000 terabytes of data. Web user access credentials, cyber-attacks, espionage services, medical records, and financial data are just some of the goods and services that can be obtained here. The Dark Web also allows users to browse and trade…