Summary
Informs about our email security system using SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and GeoIP to verify senders, protect message integrity, enforce security policies, and block risky messages based on location.
Body
✉️ Why We Use Email Security Tools
To protect our email system from being misused or impersonated, we’ve put strong rules in place for how we receive messages. These rules help us spot suspicious emails and block them before they reach our inboxes. Here are the key tools we use:
🔐 DKIM – Like a Signature on a Letter
DKIM adds a digital signature to each email. It helps us confirm that the message hasn’t been changed or tampered with while traveling across the internet.
✅ SPF – Why Senders Need to Be on the “Safe List”
SPF (Sender Policy Framework) helps us check if an email is really coming from who it says it’s from. It’s like checking a guest list before letting someone into a secure building.
When someone sends us an email, their SPF record tells us which servers are allowed to send messages using their name. If they don’t have this record—or if the email comes from an unapproved server—we treat it as suspicious.
Why this protects us:
- Without SPF, we can’t confirm who the email is really from.
- Emails from unknown or high-risk sources are more likely to be scams or phishing attempts.
- Our system blocks these emails to keep our inboxes safe.
🛡️ DMARC – Like a Security Guard
DMARC sets the rules for what to do if an email fails the DKIM or SPF checks. It tells our system whether to block the message, send it to spam, or allow it through. It also sends us reports so we can monitor any attempts to misuse our domain.
🌍 GeoIP – Like a Location Filter
GeoIP helps protect our email system by checking where each message is coming from. As a government organization, we follow strict security practices—so by default, we block emails from all countries outside the U.S. This helps reduce the risk of cyber threats that often originate from international sources.
However, if we’ve whitelisted a trusted domain, emails from that sender will still be allowed—even if they come from a blocked country.
🧩 Why This Protects Us
- Many phishing and malware attacks come from outside the U.S. Blocking international sources helps reduce our exposure to these threats.
- By blocking all international sources, we reduce the chances of harmful messages reaching our inboxes.
- These blocks apply to the entire organization and cannot be bypassed unless a domain is specifically whitelisted.
- Whitelisting trusted domains ensures that important messages from known partners or vendors aren’t affected.