Agari Email Fraud & Identity Deception Trends 2022 - The Findings

Despite billions invested into perimeter and endpoint security since the global pandemic began, phishing and business email compromise (BEC) scams remain as primary attack vectors into our businesses. With huge losses during 2021 as a direct result of these scams, global adoption of Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) has never been more important.

Agari Cyber Intelligence Division (ACID), the world’s only counterintelligence research group dedicated to BEC investigation and cybercrime abatement, has just released its latest Email Fraud & Identity Deception Trends report on the state of DMARC enforcement. In this article, we’ll focus on the main takeaways from the report and highlight the key findings in relation to Australian cyber security.

DMARC POLICY ADOPTION TRENDS

Global adoption of DMARC rose by 19% from 2020 to 2021, with nearly 13 million domains with recognisable DMARC policies. However, while the increase is encouraging, it still only represents a small percentage of the half-billion domains that Agari scanned worldwide. What’s more, while there was a 24% rise in the domains that have DMARC set to its highest enforcement level, the overall numbers are low, leaving even those organisations who have implemented DMARC still at risk from phishing and BEC.

With regards to DMARC adoption, the report focused on three key breakout areas:

1. DMARC Adoption Trends by Key Geographies

• Germany and the US continue to lead the world with the most DMARC policies set at full enforcement.
• Canada more than doubled the strictest possible enforcement level in 2021.
• Spain, France, and Poland all had over 40% growth in setting the strongest enforcement level.

2. DMARC Adoption Trends Among Some of the World’s Largest Companies

• 34% of Fortune 500 Companies have DMARC set at full enforcement, a rise of 10% from 2020, yet two-thirds still remain at risk.
• Over a third of FTSE 100 companies have domains protected by DMARC set to p=reject, up 25% from 2020, but 62% don’t have protections in place.
• 23% of Australia’s ASX 100 companies have DMARC policies set to full enforcement. While there has been a push to improve this, the private sector continues to struggle with deployment.
• 21% of HDAX companies have DMARC policies set to full enforcement, a 12% rise from 2020, but a staggering 69% remain vulnerable.

3. DMARC Adoption Trends Across Different Industry Verticals  

• Financial and technology/SaaS providers were the most impersonated in phishing attacks.
• Within the financial services sector, Agari had the most customer domains at reject level, 65% compared to an average of 46.3% for its top competitors.
• Across all industries, Agari customers were at an all-time high of 87% p=reject level.
• 54% of Agari healthcare customers’ domains are set at a p=reject level, almost three times higher than the industry average of 19%.

BRAND INDICATORS FOR MESSAGE IDENTIFICATION (BIMI) ADOPTION TRENDS

Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) provides businesses with a standardised way to publish their verified brand logos next to their emails in a recipient’s inbox. The ability to validate that an email comes from an authentic domain safeguards the recipients and protects them from phishing attacks. According to Agari’s report:

• There was a 96% rise in the number of brands adopting BIM in 2021.
• A total of 18,913 brand domains had BIMI records as of the end of 2021.

HOW TO PROTECT AGAINST ADVANCED EMAIL THREATS

Agari Brand Protection helps protect brands and customers from advanced socially engineered phishing attacks by:

• Automating DMARC email authentication and enforcement.
• Continuous threat monitoring and mitigation.
• Safeguarding brand identity and boosting digital engagement.

At Infotrust, we offer a comprehensive approach to safeguard your brand from the most advanced email threats. Contact us to find out how we can secure your business today.

To find out more about Agari’s report and why DMARC implementation should be a top priority for your business, download the 2022 Email Fraud & Identity Deception Trends Report.