Today, the Authentication and Online Trust Alliance (AOTA) announced that adoption of email and domain authentication has reached its tipping point, exceeding 50% in several key metrics.
AOTA research highlights the top Fortune 500 and Internet retailers who have realized the business value of protecting consumers and their brands from forged email and phishing ploys through adoption of Sender ID (SIDF) and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM), the leading standards of authentication.
Spam, phishing and other forms of fraudulent email are ever-increasing threats to the safety of consumers and brands. Up to 80 percent of email from leading brands, banks and ISPs is spoofed.
After a five-month review of over 100 million emails from Fortune 500 brands, AOTA reported that over 50 percent of legitimate email sent worldwide on a daily basis from over 15 million domain holders is authenticated. Those compliant brands are seeing significant benefits including brand protection and enhanced deliverability. Brands that have not authenticated are at a competitive disadvantage and are unnecessarily exposed to spam and phishing attacks from cybercriminals.
AOTA has issued a call for compliance of all consumer-facing e-commerce and online financial services sites to adopt one or more forms of outbound email authentication for their top-level corporate domain within the next six months. While many companies have adopted authentication for their marketing sub domains, they need to focus on consumer and brand protection.
AOTA also advised all ISPs to implement inbound authentication verification, in addition to existing messaging hygiene solutions, to maximize consumer and brand protection within the next six months. This commitment by the entire Internet ecosystem is required to preserve trust and confidence in e-commerce.
“Email Authentication has now surpassed the tipping point, and we are encouraged with improvements in all key areas of measurement,” said Craig Spiezle, chairman of AOTA and director of Internet Security and Privacy at Microsoft Corporation.
“The latest adoption data and industry collaboration is a testament to how these organizations are stepping up to protect their brands and consumers. AOTA is calling on all brand owners to implement domain level authentication within the next six months.”
Epsilon, Habeas, Goodmail Systems, JupiterResearch, Lyris, Microsoft, MX Logic and Return Path contributed and in the creation of AOTA’s authentication report.
“Email authentication is a necessary component to solidifying the future viability of email as well as strengthening consumer trust in the online channel,” said David Daniels, vice president and research director at JupiterResearch.
“Companies that adopt at their corporate and marketing levels will have a competitive advantage.”
Founded in October 2004, the mission of AOTA is to foster the elimination of email and Internet fraud, abuse and data intrusions, thereby enhancing online trust, confidence and online protection of businesses and consumers. By providing the ecosystem prescriptive and actionable advice in a vendor-neutral environment, AOTA aims to increase digital inclusion and Internet usage worldwide by promoting the benefits of Internet safety to users of all ages and demographics. |
