What is Email Spoofing?

Email Spoofing Defined (With Example)

Spoofing defined with a concrete example: SMTP, email's sending protocol, historically did not verify that the From address belongs to the sender. The protocol trusts the envelope like a paper envelope with a handwritten return address. An attacker in any country runs mail software, sets the From header to ceo@yourcompany.com, and sends 'Pay this urgent vendor invoice' to your finance team.

Key points:

• Nothing touches your servers; your domain is simply quoted.

• A subtler variant targets your customers — support@yourbank-style forging delivers phishing to thousands, with your brand's reputation as the hostage.

• Display-name tricks complement it: the visible name reads 'Rajesh Kumar — CEO' while the real address is scam@lookalike-domain.com; mobile clients show only the name.

• The defusing fact: spoofing uses your name, not your account — and the SPF/DKIM/DMARC stack below shuts it down.

Why Forged Emails Even Get Delivered

Why Forged Emails Even Get Delivered. Do the change this heading names on one site first, then check it in a private browser window or in the mail client, depending on the topic. Change one setting at a time, and undo it if the result is wrong before you try the next. If you want the Jaipur desk to look with you, email support@webji.services — that mailbox is staffed 24/7 in Hindi and English. Phone +91 141 4941811 is business hours only.

Spoofed vs Hacked: The Difference

Spoofed versus hacked — the distinction that determines your response. Spoofed: attackers used your ADDRESS; your mailbox untouched; no one read your mail; passwords unaffected; your sent folder shows nothing. Response: the DNS records below plus customer awareness.

Hacked: attackers control the ACCOUNT — they logged in, can read mail, send from the real server with perfect authentication (DMARC passes), delete evidence, set forwarding rules, and harvest contacts. Response: immediate password change, revoke app passwords and sessions, check forwarding filters, scan devices, notify contacts. The diagnostic: inspect the forged message's headers — the Received lines trace the actual sending servers; if they are not your provider's infrastructure, you were spoofed.

The uncomfortable truth: authenticated mail from a truly hacked account is harder for receivers to catch than crude spoofing — which is why account security (2FA, strong passwords) matters as much as DNS records.

The Defense Stack: SPF, DKIM, DMARC

The defense stack, layer by layer:

• SPF (Sender Policy Framework): a DNS TXT record listing every server authorised to send mail for your domain (v=spf1 include:yourhost.com ~all). Receivers check the connecting server's IP against the list — mail from elsewhere fails. Limitation: SPF validates the envelope, and forwarding breaks it.

• DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): your server cryptographically signs each message; the public key publishes in DNS. Receivers verify the signature — proving the message came from your infrastructure unmodified.

• DMARC: the policy layer tying both together — it tells receivers what to do when SPF/DKIM fail (p=none monitor, p=quarantine spam-folder, p=reject discard), and alignment requires the visible From domain to match the authenticated domain. DMARC also emails you aggregate reports revealing exactly who is sending mail as your domain — spoofs and legitimate-but-forgotten services alike.

WebJi® configures all three with business email; the setup guide covers the records.

Checking Your Domain's Spoofability

Checking Your Domain's Spoofability. Do the change this heading names on one site first, then check it in a private browser window or in the mail client, depending on the topic. Change one setting at a time, and undo it if the result is wrong before you try the next. If you want the Jaipur desk to look with you, email support@webji.services — that mailbox is staffed 24/7 in Hindi and English. Phone +91 141 4941811 is business hours only.

Backscatter: Bounces for Mail You Never Sent

On DMARC policy, the honest summary is that defaults matter more than brand names — a well-set budget plan outranks a mis-tuned premium one. WebJi® documents its defaults openly and adjusts them per ticket when workloads need it.

A Business Anti-Spoofing Checklist

How this plays out with phishing and business email compromise (BEC): settings that look cosmetic usually decide page speed and uptime under real traffic. The defaults WebJi® ships are tuned for Indian network conditions, and support can review your setup on request.