Some of the world's top providers of web-based email systems are teaming up with financial-services companies to combat phishing emails. Yahoo, Google, Microsoft, and AOL are all backing Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC), a draft technical specification designed to reduce spoof emails and introduce an authentication system that helps email senders and receivers share information to ensure a message is legitimate.
Facebook, LinkedIn, Bank of America, and PayPal are all involved in the DMARC group too, which launches today. PayPal blocks around 200,000 emails a day thanks to its existing work with Google and Yahoo's email services, a figure that will likely improve if DMARC is implemented widely. For the project to be successful, it will need the industry as a whole to back it to ensure security and email software adopt the DMARC standards. End users of Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, and AOL mail will not have to alter any settings, but ISPs and other email providers will need to implement email authentication technologies and the DMARC policy mechanism.
It remains to be seen whether the wider industry is willing to work together on suggestions and feedback for an improved email system, but the support from the heavyweights is encouraging enough to suggest that DMARC could have a very real impact on modern day electronic mail.
Comments
collaborations lead to great things like these.
By redanish on 01.30.12 4:00am
Sounds like socialism to me.
By wellplacedcomma on 01.30.12 4:24am
Sometimes it just works better. ;)
As soon as you have to get creative socialism works better. ;)
By samuelhauptmannvandam on 01.30.12 6:23am
Teamwork: Now socialism!
By Duality on 01.30.12 6:37am
aha, funny
By redanish on 01.30.12 7:28am
Glad some people don’t always need /s
By wellplacedcomma on 01.30.12 7:49am
Nice Vergecast reference.
By Christopher Malone on 01.30.12 7:48am
Glad I’m not the only one getting those darn ClubVIP emails
By Timan on 01.30.12 4:37am
Have you ever been selected from a database to win monies sir? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MTFauI8INY
By Tom Warren on 01.30.12 4:40am
Its the 21st Century, still don’t know how Spam and Internet guerillas’ can exist for so long. They all have one thing in common, earn money, and money can be traced. So why aren’t we following the money still? I mean some stupid virus program pretending to be Antivirus, hijacking the PC and asking people to pay $40.00 before they can use their PC is simple to follow, just club whoever is reaping the money from the account to death. Problem solved.
By mcakins on 01.30.12 7:17am
Easier said than done. I’m not completely aware of the roadblocks in this case, but I can only imagine your idea has been thought of before.
By My Only Name Change on 01.30.12 9:36am
Well, in the DFIR industry, we have what is called honey-pots; put an unprotected system online, let it get infected, then pay the money requested into the account given, than sit and wait for the one that will come and collect from that account with a club in your hand. Simple.
By mcakins on 01.30.12 11:18am
It’s not that hard really. There are just a few large banks worldwide that will knowingly do business with scammers. Prosecute those few banks and it will be much, much harder for a spammer to make a living.
By sep332 on 01.30.12 11:29am
and that my friend is the problem. if the local gov’t doesn’t care*, how are they supposed to be prosecuted?
By somnia on 01.30.12 12:24pm
supposed to be a reply to spe332’s comment.
where’s my edit button verge?
By somnia on 01.30.12 12:25pm