The Web Security Questions You Aren't Asking (But Should Be)

"In my work designing and building websites, I hear from business leaders that they're afraid they're not going to be able to connect with their audiences and or meet their business goals. Technical leads and IT directors are afraid of getting attacked or spammed. But few mention a critical and often completely overlooked threat: those that target site performance, infrastructure costs and brand reputation."

"While clients worry about incoming spam, they rarely ask about outgoing security. This is where the real danger to your brand reputation lies. If you do not have a dedicated IT team, you might not be thinking about DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) or DMARC protocols. In plain English: Without these protocols configured on your website's DNS, bad actors can "spoof" your domain, which means that they can send emails that look exactly like they came from your organization."

"The fix is to configure DKIM during launch to ensure that your domain essentially "digitally signs" every email it sends. In fact, in 2024, Google introduced strict new requirements for sender authentication to block spam that most institutions are taking notice of. They've provided simple instructions. The fix tells the world, "If it didn't come from our verified server, it's not from us." This doesn't just prevent fraud; it ensures your actual newsletters and upd"

Talie Smith leads Smith & Connors, a purpose-driven brand, marketing and digital agency. Business leaders fear failing to connect with audiences or meet goals, while IT teams worry about attacks and spam. A commonly overlooked threat targets site performance, infrastructure costs and brand reputation through outgoing email spoofing. Lack of DKIM and DMARC on DNS allows bad actors to send emails that appear to originate from the organization. Configuring DKIM at launch and meeting modern sender-authentication requirements prevents spoofing, protects brand reputation, and ensures legitimate newsletters and communications reach recipients.

Read at Forbes