In the context of security ratings, an "Email Security" rating assesses or evaluates the security measures and practices implemented to protect email communication from potential threats and vulnerabilities. It focuses on the protection of email accounts, the prevention of unauthorized access, and the mitigation of risks associated with email-based attacks.

The Email Security rating considers various factors related to the security of email systems and services, including the implementation of secure protocols (such as Transport Layer Security or TLS) for email transmission, spam and malware filtering mechanisms, authentication mechanisms (such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC), encryption of sensitive email content, and measures to prevent phishing and spoofing attacks.

The Email Security rating is an essential component of security ratings as email remains a common and critical communication channel for organizations. By evaluating the Email Security rating, organizations and users can gain insights into the security strengths and weaknesses of their email systems or services, identify areas for improvement, and make informed decisions to enhance the security and confidentiality of their email communications.

ThreatNG Security Ratings integrate intelligence substantiated with external attack surface management, digital risk protection capabilities, domain intelligence, dark web presence, sentiment and financials discovery and assessment, and deeper inspection for Business Email Compromise (BEC) and phishing susceptibility, can enhance the fidelity and validity of an Email Security rating in the following ways:

External Attack Surface Management: The security ratings solution assesses the organization's exposure to potential email-based attacks by incorporating external attack surface management capabilities. This evaluation considers factors such as email infrastructure configuration, authentication mechanisms, and potential vulnerabilities attackers may exploit.

Digital Risk Protection and Domain Intelligence: Including digital risk protection capabilities and domain intelligence allows the security ratings solution to gather information about potential risks and threats related to the organization's email domains. This includes monitoring for indicators such as compromised credentials, leaked information, or discussions related to email security on the dark web. Considering these factors, the rating gains a more accurate understanding of the organization's susceptibility to email-based attacks.

Dark Web Presence and Sentiment Analysis: The security ratings solution's dark web presence discovery and sentiment analysis capabilities provide insights into any compromised email credentials, leaked information, or discussions related to email security on the dark web. This analysis helps identify potential threats, vulnerabilities, or ongoing attacks that may impact the organization's email security. Additionally, sentiment analysis of discussions related to the organization's email security can provide indications of potential risks or vulnerabilities.

Sentiment and Financials Assessment: By considering sentiment and financial indicators such as lawsuits, layoff chatter, ESG violations, SEC filings, and negative news related to the organization, the security ratings solution gains a broader understanding of potential risks to the organization's email security. This assessment helps identify indicators affecting the organization's ability to maintain secure email communications.

Deeper Inspection for BEC and Phishing Susceptibility: The security rating’s intelligence gathered from its Dark Web Presence, Domain Intelligence, and Sentiment and Financials investigation modules provide valuable insights into an organization's email security by analyzing dark web activities, domain-related data, and online sentiment and financial information. By incorporating this intelligence, ThreatNG assesses the organization's susceptibility to Business Email Compromise (BEC) and phishing attacks, evaluates the effectiveness of email security measures, and identifies potential vulnerabilities. This comprehensive approach strengthens the accuracy and reliability of the Email Security rating, enabling a more robust understanding of an organization's email security posture and its ability to mitigate BEC and phishing threats.

By incorporating these additional capabilities, a security ratings solution like ThreatNG enhances the fidelity and validity of the Email Security rating. It considers external threats, digital risks, sentiment analysis, financial indicators, dark web presence, and specific vulnerabilities related to BEC and phishing attacks. This comprehensive evaluation helps organizations better understand their email security posture, identify potential risks and vulnerabilities, and take proactive measures to enhance the security of their email communications.