While you can’t stop someone from attempting spoofing, you can protect yourself and your domain with the right mix of technology, vigilance, and safe practices. This guide walks you through what you must do and maintain to defend against spoofed senders and prevent email spoofing attacks.
Why Prevention Matters
Spoofed emails impersonating your domain can mislead recipients, damage your reputation, corrupt trust, or enable phishing scams through email spoofing. Ensuring your domain is protected helps safeguard your brand and improves email deliverability.
The fraudulent emails often include:
- Malicious links leading to fake login pages or fraudulent websites.
- Infected attachments carrying malware.
- Urgent requests to share sensitive data like passwords or credit card details.
While you can’t prevent others from trying to impersonate known contacts to gain access to your personal information, there are things that you can do to avoid becoming a victim of spoofers.
As a rule, a combination of domain authentication, safe browsing habits, and the best antivirus software is the only surefire way to improve the prevention of hackers from taking control of your data and your computer.
1. Secure Your Domain with Email Authentication
- SPF: Publish an SPF record listing authorised mail servers for your domain.
- DKIM: Enable cryptographic signatures for all outgoing mail.
- DMARC: Create a DMARC policy to decide what happens when a spoofed message fails SPF/DKIM checks. Start with “none” for reporting, then move to “quarantine” or “reject.”
- Regular DNS Checks: Remove outdated or conflicting MX/TXT records and ensure SSL certificates match your mail server.
2. Practice Safe Browsing and Email Habits
- Never click links or download attachments from emails that look suspicious, even if the sender seems familiar.
- Always check the sender’s email address carefully because spoofers often mimic domains with small spelling changes (e.g., 1-grid.com vs l-grid.com).
- Only share sensitive information (passwords, banking details) through encrypted sites with HTTPS in the URL.
- If a trusted website suddenly looks different, avoid clicking or submitting information until you verify its legitimacy.
3. Use Strong, Up-to-Date Antivirus and Security Tools
Spoofed emails often carry malware. Installing and maintaining reliable antivirus software gives you real-time protection against malicious downloads and suspicious sites.
Hackers often use different spoofing techniques to install malware on your computer, which is why you need to use the best antivirus software to protect your files and prevent email spoofing. A good antivirus program will provide real-time protection against viruses, worms, Trojans, and all other types of malicious software. To ensure optimal security, some of these programs will alert you whenever you try to access a suspicious website.
Recommended Antivirus Solutions (Paid)
Free Antivirus Solutions
- AVG Free (For PC)
- AVG Free (For All Devices)
- Microsoft Defender (built into Windows)
- TotalAV Free
- Lavasoft
TIP: Choose a solution that provides real-time scanning, phishing protection, and suspicious website alerts.
4. Educate and Empower Users
- Train employees or family members to spot spoofing warning signs.
- Create a process for reporting suspicious emails quickly.
- Encourage use of password managers and two-factor authentication (2FA) to reduce risk even if credentials are phished.
5. Monitor and Maintain Ongoing Security
- Regularly review DMARC reports to spot unauthorised senders.
- Rotate DKIM keys periodically.
- Update antivirus and operating systems to patch vulnerabilities.
- Audit email and DNS configurations whenever you add new services or providers.
FAQs
Can spoofers still forge my domain even if I set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC?
They can try, but to prevent email spoofing, you can properly configure authentication to ensure their emails are flagged or blocked, protecting your recipients and reputation.
Which antivirus software should I use to block spoofed attachments or malware?
Paid solutions like Bitdefender, Malwarebytes, and Norton offer strong, real-time protection. Free tools like Microsoft Defender or AVG provide a good baseline.
What should I do if I accidentally clicked on a spoofed email link?
Immediately disconnect from the internet, run a full antivirus scan, change your passwords, and enable two-factor authentication. If sensitive data was entered, notify your bank or IT team.
Are free antivirus solutions enough protection?
Free antivirus software can provide basic protection, but premium solutions offer broader coverage (phishing filters, real-time web protection, ransomware defence).
How often should I update my DNS security records?
Review them whenever you add or remove email services, and at least once a year to confirm SPF/DKIM/DMARC are current.
Additional Resources
What Is Email Spoofing? How It Works and How to Protect Yourself
How to Spot a Scam Email
Email Headers FAQs
How to Manage Your DNS Zone File via cPanel
How to Enable DKIM and SPF on Your Mail Domain
Why SSL? The Purpose of Using SSL Certificates
Settings to Configure Your 1-grid Email Accounts Across Devices
What is a Domain Name Server (DNS)?
MailChannels FAQs
SpamTitan FAQs
Need Additional Support?
We’re Here to Help:
Preventing spoofing attacks doesn’t have to be a challenge with this easy-to-reference guide. Stuck? Contact our Support Team for guidance (https://1grid.co.za/contact-us/). We’re ready to see how we can help!