York technology chief warns on email security

Yahoo

09-07-2025

The founder of a York IT services company says over four-fifths of city businesses have a critical gap in their email security, putting them at risk of impersonation or delivery failure.
Thomas Siron of Techscend says recent changes in email handling by tech giants Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft could have serious consequences for businesses that haven't taken proactive steps to protect their domains.
These providers have now implemented stringent policies requiring all domains that send emails to have properly configured DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) records.
Thomas said: 'Businesses that don't have DMARC in place - or have it set up incorrectly - are playing with fire. Their emails may never even reach the recipient's spam folder, let alone their inbox. This could lead to client proposals going undelivered and email marketing efforts being wasted. Worse still, their domain could be hijacked by scammers to send fake emails that appear 100% legitimate to the average person.'
DMARC is a security protocol that works with other domain records - SPF and DKIM - to prevent email spoofing - a tactic commonly used by cybercriminals to impersonate legitimate companies. Without it, hackers can forge the identity of a company's domain and send malicious emails to unsuspecting customers, partners, or staff.
The warning follows recent high-profile cyberattacks involving household names, such as M&S, The Co-Op and Harrods.
Techsend says these incidents highlight the devastating consequences of cyber threats and the urgent need for businesses of all sizes to tighten their security.
Siron explaine: 'A lot of business owners think that because they're using Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or email services provided by their website, they're automatically protected.
'But unless DMARC, SPF, and DKIM are correctly configured for your domain, your outbound emails could be held back by recipient servers - or worse, used by fraudsters to carry out scams in your name.'
Emma Hollinrake, from Phishing Tackle, the preferred partner for security awareness training with Aviva, added: 'Cyber insurance needs - and claims - are increasing year on year, in line with the increase of cyber risks to organisations of all sizes. One thing is certain; - now, more than ever before, education and awareness for employees is absolutely critical across all areas of risk.'
Techscend is urging businesses to conduct a domain health check immediately and has launched a free email security audit service to help identify gaps in protection. Businesses can sign up for a free domain health check at www.techscend.uk.
Siron concluded: 'In a digital world, your email domain is your identity. If you don't lock it down, someone else will use it - and the fallout can be catastrophic.'