Account Takeover
Overview
The most hostile kind of cyberattacks are those that involve Account Takeovers (ATO). ATO-based email attacks are the toughest to detect and inflict massive damage to users and organizations. These attacks are perpetrated using compromised accounts of real users to prey on the mutual trust between individuals and organizations.
Attackers collect email account credentials via phishing attacks or simply purchase them from the dark web. They then log into these accounts and lay low while monitoring account activity and snooping on important conversations. When the attacker spots the perfect moment, they launch the ATO-based attack aimed at stealing sensitive information or spreading malware across an organization.
Stats
A report by security.org states that:
- The approximate average value of financial losses from account takeovers of financial accounts is nearly $12,000.
- 60% of account takeover victims used the same password as the compromised account across multiple accounts.
- 58% of the reported account takeovers occurred within 2021.
- Social media accounts made up for 51% of the accounts taken over, while banking accounts were the second most common accounts taken over at 32%.
Common Myths Related to ATO
- Installing the latest antivirus software will prevent ATO.
ATO attacks almost never have a malware touch. There are multiple other ways to compromise an account.
- User training is enough to prevent ATO.
User training is never enough to prevent ATO attacks. Email protocols provide more security when it comes to cyberattacks.
- An ATO attack always starts with an email.
Although they might start with an email in most cases, attackers have been known to use other methods to hack into an account.
- ATO always starts with a phishing attack.
Attackers can get access to your account without a phishing message.
- It is immediately visible if an account is compromised.
It will be a long while before you realize that your account has been compromised. After taking over an account, attackers observe account activity for an extended period before making a move.
How Can DMARC Help?
DMARC (Domain-Based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) is an email authentication standard or protocol that determines whether an email is authentic or not. It relies on SPF and DKIM, two other protocols, to decide the authentication status of an email. It provides visibility of the sources sending emails from an organization’s domain, ensures better email deliverability, and, most importantly, provides security against domain spoofing, phishing, and impersonation attacks.
DMARC can help locate the IP address from which an email originated. This lets the user keep track of legitimate emails since the domain has a registered list of authorized IP addresses. Any email received with the intent of hacking into an account via phishing or spoofing will be rejected or quarantined, thus preventing an ATO attack.
For detailed information, read more on What is DMARC?
EmailAuth offers free tools to check your DMARC, SPF, and DKIM records. To verify your DMARC records, use EmailAuth’s Free DMARC Record Checker.
You can also set up DMARC on your domain using EmailAuth’s DMARC Record Generator. It completely automates the setup process for DMARC, making it easier to choose who is allowed to send emails on your domain’s behalf and keep track of that domain’s enforcement policies.
Apart from providing companies and organizations with guaranteed email security and complete control of their email domains via DMARC, EmaiAuth has many other advantages. Navigate to Benefits of DMARC to read more about them.