Need indicators
This capability is usually relevant when these signals appear in the operating environment.
Recurring phishing messages.
Untrusted links and attachments.
High business reliance on email.
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What is this solution?
An email security gateway evaluates sender identity, message content, URLs, and attachments as mail moves through delivery, then applies a delivery or quarantine policy. A supported mailbox API integration may add post-delivery detection or remediation, separate from inbound mail-path inspection.
An email security gateway inspects messages before delivery. Evaluate email attachment sandboxing alongside phishing email protection policies.
Practical example
A suspicious invoice arrives by email. The team reviews the link and attachment findings, and the message is quarantined if policy applies on that mail path.
Technical summary and scope of use
Technical explanation
E-mail security technology is a specialized protection system used to check in- and outsourced emails, and detect threats related to the mail before it reaches users or after it is delivered when necessary.
The work mechanism is based on the combination of a secure mail portal, integration through application APIs with cloud mail platforms, behavioral and artificial intelligence-backed analytics, link checking when clicking, attachments checking within an isolated environment, and domain identity verification using SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
The technical objective is to reduce the risks of mail-based attacks, improve the vision and security analysis of mail traffic, support incident response, protect confidentiality and security, and the availability of mail service.
This technology helps protect e-mail from threats that usually come through messages, such as theft, malicious files, fraudulent links, and identity fraud.
Instead of waiting for the message to reach the user, the mail, links and attachments are checked in advance, then the message is analyzed in terms of behavior, context and intention. And if a harmful message appears after delivery, it can be handled and removed from the mailboxes.
The main operational benefit is to reduce the possibility of business stop, data loss or financial fraud caused by e-mail, while providing a clear vision for the security team about the type, source and size of attacks.
The technology also supports the continuity of mail in case the mail platform is broken, provides advanced encryption for sensitive messages and centralized management that facilitates tracking and control.
Scope of use
The technology is used to protect emails from malicious software, catch, fraudulent messages, corporate mail hacking, accounts capture, social engineering, unknown threats, and unintentionally sensitive information leak.
Work in cloud, local, virtual, private, public, or as a management service, with support for high availability and continuity of mail when the main mail platform is interrupted.
What it delivers
Core capabilities that turn the requirement into practical controls.
Protection and inspection
Identity verification and anti-spoofing
Analysis and Artificial Intelligence
Expected value
The impact security teams and leadership can expect from the right implementation.
Lower email risk
Better user protection
Improved suspicious-message response
Technical capabilities
Feature availability depends on product version, target systems, deployment, and integrations.
Protection and inspection
Check and filtering the mail.
Analysis and filtering emails, catch and annoying messages.
Block advanced malware.
Inspect a sample in the supported scope and compare the signals with both normal and unusual activity.
Phishing detection
Address suspicious messages or behavior according to the solution’s role and review legitimate cases to reduce false positives.
Spam detection
Filter spam according to policy and review legitimate samples so business email is not blocked.
Discover the fraud by mail.
Inspect a sample in the supported scope and compare the signals with both normal and unusual activity.
Detect indicators of business email compromise (BEC)
Analyze message context and communication patterns to surface unusual requests for review without assuming compromise.
Detection of accounts.
Associate users or groups with authorized scope and review how membership changes affect access.
Discovering the Social Engineering.
Coach staff to spot unusual requests and verify them through an approved channel before sharing work information.
Zero-day threat detection
Evaluate behavioral analysis for detecting threats that do not yet have known signatures at the time of inspection.
Disclosure of sensitive information.
Reduce unintentional disclosure of sensitive information.
Analyze the links at the time of click.
Protect users from harmful links when interacting with them.
Dealing with the techniques of hiding, encryption and escape in links.
Limit data readability without the required keys; confirm where encryption starts and ends.
Inspecting the attachments within an isolated environment.
Isolate the item or access path when policy conditions are met; define review and release to limit unintended impact.
Remove active content and dangerous loads from the attachments.
Test the processed attachment to verify targeted active content is removed while the document remains usable.
Identity verification and anti-spoofing
Protect from spam using SPF.
Define authorized sending addresses for the domain; verify actual senders before enforcing policy.
Protect from mail fraud using DKIM.
Provide a verifiable email signature; review the selector and key rotation process.
Protect from mail fraud using DMARC.
Align the From domain with authentication and policy; monitor legitimate sources before quarantine or rejection.
Assessing confidence between the communications.
Associate users or groups with authorized scope and review how membership changes affect access.
Analysis of the usual communication patterns of the organization and individuals.
Inspect a sample in the supported scope and compare the signals with both normal and unusual activity.
Suspicious messages are temporarily arrested.
Connect defined actions or data to other systems; review authorization, authentication, and failure handling.
Discover logical contradictions in the content of the messages.
Associate users or groups with authorized scope and review how membership changes affect access.
Discover the abnormality in the intention of the letter.
Associate users or groups with authorized scope and review how membership changes affect access.
Analysis and Artificial Intelligence
An adaptive confidence engine is supported by artificial intelligence.
Ask for stronger verification when sign-in context changes or before a sensitive action.
Semantic analysis of message language and intent signals
Surface cues such as unusual payment requests so security teams can assess them in context.
Artificial Intelligence and Context.
Inspect a sample in the supported scope and compare the signals with both normal and unusual activity.
A deep analysis of suspicious messages during delivery.
Inspect a sample in the supported scope and compare the signals with both normal and unusual activity.
Flag apparently benign messages with unusual context
Inspect a sample in the supported scope and compare the signals with both normal and unusual activity.
Monitoring and response
Threats for comprehensive analysis.
Present reviewable results to compare changes and identify cases requiring action.
A full view of the mail movement and its trends.
Show activity within the covered scope and associate events with an asset or session during review.
Analysis of the size, types and sources of attacks.
Break results down by source, message type, and time period to identify attack trends and review rules.
Provide performance indicators and information tables.
Provide information panels and indicators that help to analyze risks and track the security status of the mail.
Support planning of risk reduction strategies.
Compare representative workflows before and after rollout to measure manual effort and processing time.
Remove the malware after delivery.
Remove malicious messages after delivery or transfer them to a secure site for analysis.
Remove malicious messages or move them for analysis on integrated channels
Identify which mail channels support response actions and how those actions are reviewed or reversed.
Remove malware messages from all recipients with one click.
Show activity within the covered scope and associate events with an asset or session during review.
Encryption and continuity of service
Advanced mail encryption from one to a third using AES-256.
Limit data readability without the required keys; confirm where encryption starts and ends.
Post continuity when the basic mail platform is not available.
Measure behavior under expected load and during a component interruption or recovery.
High availability option through Active-Active Clustering.
Reduce disruption from a component failure; test actual failover and recovery to normal operation.
Integration and deployment
Integrate through application APIs with cloud mail platforms.
Identify both integration endpoints and the data they exchange; verify behavior if either endpoint is unavailable.
A safe mail.
Support a safe mail portal within the security infrastructure components.
Publishing the cloud.
Identify both integration endpoints and the data they exchange; verify behavior if either endpoint is unavailable.
Local publication.
Identify both integration endpoints and the data they exchange; verify behavior if either endpoint is unavailable.
Published on virtual platforms.
Identify both integration endpoints and the data they exchange; verify behavior if either endpoint is unavailable.
Published in a private cloud.
Identify both integration endpoints and the data they exchange; verify behavior if either endpoint is unavailable.
Cloud deployment
Identify both integration endpoints and the data they exchange; verify behavior if either endpoint is unavailable.
Provided as an administrative mail security service.
Identify both integration endpoints and the data they exchange; verify behavior if either endpoint is unavailable.
Management
A standard control unit for mail security management.
Manage message inspection and quarantine centrally for integrated mail paths only.
Simple workflow to change the settings.
Configure behavior for the use case and retain the approved configuration for review or rollback.
Post and stone management through smart phones applications.
Isolate the item or access path when policy conditions are met; define review and release to limit unintended impact.
Health stone management for mail.
Isolate the item or access path when policy conditions are met; define review and release to limit unintended impact.
Management of the settings from a central point.
Bring configuration and monitoring into one management point while keeping operator permissions restricted.
How the technology works
Control and examination
The technology is based on the analysis and filtering of entering and outgoing emails to detect malicious and fraudulent messages before they reach users.
Analysis of links and attachments
The technology scans links when clicking and analyzes attachments within an isolated environment to detect malicious loads and malware.
Verification of identity.
The technology is based on domain identity verification using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to reduce mailing and sender scatter.
Behavioral and Dallary Analysis
The technology uses artificial intelligence to analyze the context of messages, intention and behavior, and to detect contradictions and abnormalities in suspicious messages.
Monitoring and Analysis
The technology provides a comprehensive view of the mail traffic and analysis of types, sources and trends of attacks through information panels and analytical reports.
Incident response
The technology enables you to remove malicious messages after delivery or transfer them to a secure site for analysis and response to security incidents.
Continuity of service
The technology supports continuity of e-mail in case the basic email platform is interrupted to ensure continuity of communications and services.
Cryptography
The technology provides advanced encryption for sensitive messages using AES-256 to protect data confidentiality during transmission.
What to validate before rollout
- Evaluate messages, links, and attachments on the mail path in scope.
- Define when to quarantine a message and who can review or release it.
- Test legitimate mail and how rules affect suppliers and critical correspondence.
Integration and scope
Confirm mail routing, integration, quarantine, and release options. Post-delivery or outbound scanning needs separate validation.
Challenges this solution addresses
- Access of phishing messages to users.
- Malware by mail.
- harmful or hidden links.
- Additives with dangerous loads.
- Drop and messengers.
- The corporate mail.
- capture of accounts.
- and social engineering.
- the fraudulent messages.
- Zero-day threats
- Clean messages apparently with malicious intentions.
- Weak vision in the mail movement.
- Difficulty analysis of sources and types of attacks.
- Difficulty to remove malware after delivery.
- Unintentional disclosure of sensitive information.
- The mail stops when the basic mail platform is broken.
- Weak protection of sensitive messages during sending.
Regulatory alignment
Illustrative ways to support control implementation. An area may have more than one example; each row is not necessarily a separate official control.
NCA · ECC 2:2024For entities within the scope of the Essential Cybersecurity Controls.
| Domain or control | How it supports implementation | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Email protection | Analysis and filtering emails, catch and annoying messages Related capability: Inspection and Filtering of Input and Exported Post | Applied |
| Email protection | Protection against advanced and zero-day threats Related capability: Analysis and behavior | Applied |
| Email protection | Verification of the mail domain identity. Related capability: SPF, DKIM and DMARC | Applied |
| Protection of systems and processing facilities | Protection from malicious software and suspicious activities Related capability: Discover Advanced Malware | Applied |
| Security of networks. | Protect users from harmful links Related capability: Analysis of links when clicking | Applied |
| Protection of data and information | Reduce unintentional disclosure of sensitive information Related capability: Unintentional disclosure of sensitive information | Applied |
| Cryptography | Protect sensitive messages during sending. Related capability: The AES-256 | Applied |
| Events records and monitoring | Analysis and security monitoring Related capability: Threats and performance indicators | Applied |
| Incident and threat management | Remediate malicious messages and respond to incidents Related capability: Delete the email after delivery. | Applied |
| Continuity of business | Support mail service continuity Test failure and recovery paths. This capability does not replace a complete continuity or recovery plan. Related capability: Continuity of email | Applied |
| Cloud computing and hosting | Supporting cloud environments and managed services Related capability: Cloud Publishing and Managed Service | Applied |
SAMA · CSFFor financial institutions within the Saudi Central Bank framework, subject to the control's applicability.
| Domain or control | How it supports implementation | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Email protection | Analysis and filtering in- and outgoing emails to reduce capture, annoying messages and malicious software Related capability: Inspection and Filtering of Input and Exported Post | Applied |
| Protection of Infrastructure | Support a safe mail portal within the security infrastructure components Related capability: Secure email gateway | Applied |
| Protecting the systems | Discover malicious software and suspicious activities before they reach users Related capability: Discover Advanced Malware | Applied |
| Protecting systems from advanced threats | Detects advanced and zero-day threats using behavioral and semantic analysis Related capability: Behavioral and Dallary Analysis | Applied |
| Security Monitoring | Provide a vision of the mail movement, types of attacks, their sources and trends Related capability: Threats and Analysis | Applied |
| Events and records. | Support Analysis of Security Events Related to Mail and Suspicious Messages Related capability: Information tables and performance indicators | Applied |
| The Accident Management | Remove malicious messages after delivery or transfer them to a secure site for analysis Related capability: Delete the email after delivery. | Applied |
| Incident response | Enable security teams to deal with malicious messages that were discovered after they arrived to recipients Related capability: Processing of malicious messages | Applied |
| Protection of data | Reduce the risk of unintentional disclosure of sensitive information by mail Related capability: Unintentional disclosure of sensitive information | Applied |
| Cryptography | Protect sensitive messages while sending using advanced encryption Related capability: The AES-256 | Applied |
| Risk Management | Reduce the risk of fraud, hacking, corporate mail hacking, and account capture Settings or logs can help prepare evidence. Governance decisions and effectiveness testing remain with the organization. Related capability: Protection against fraud and social engineering | Applied |
| Management of Threats | Analysis of mail-related threats such as phishing, malicious software and social engineering Related capability: Protection against advanced threats | Applied |
| Management of Networks | Protect users from harmful links when interacting with them Related capability: Analysis of links when clicking | Applied |
| Security of cloud environments | Support integration with cloud mail platforms and work in cloud environments Related capability: Integration through Application APIs and Cloud Publishing | Applied |
| Security of third parties | Supporting the mail security service model in environments operated through certified service providers Related capability: Post Security Service Managed | Applied |
| Continuity of business | Continuing the mail service when the basic mail platform is not available Test failure and recovery paths. This capability does not replace a complete continuity or recovery plan. Related capability: Continuity of email | Applied |
| Protection of sensitive financial systems | Protect the mail channel used in corporate communication from fraud, identity fraud and malicious messages Related capability: Protecting the mail from assassination and fraud. | Applied |
| Identity and access management | Reduce the risk of capturing email accounts by conduct analysis and suspicious messages arrest Related capability: Protection from account capture. | Applied |
| compliance and audit | Provide information panels and indicators that help to analyze risks and track the security status of the mail Settings or logs can help prepare evidence. Governance decisions and effectiveness testing remain with the organization. Related capability: Performance indicators and information tables | Applied |
| Operational Security | Post security management from a central control unit and simplification of control procedures and settings Related capability: Unified control unit and simplified workflow | Applied |
NCA · OTCC-1:2022For operational technology and industrial control environments to which the controls apply.
Evaluate these examples against the facility level and assets in scope. They do not authorize IT/OT connectivity or component installation on operational assets without assessment.
| Domain or control | How it supports implementation | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility and monitoring | Provide a vision of mail movement, threats and trends Related capability: Threats and Analysis | Applied |
| Discover threats. | Detection of catching, malicious software and social engineering Related capability: Protection against advanced threats | Applied |
| Incident response | Remove and analyze malicious messages. Verify asset compatibility and test operational impact before deploying an agent or taking response action in an OT environment. Related capability: Delete the email after delivery. | Applied |
| Management of Threats | Analysis and planning to reduce risks Related capability: Performance indicators and information tables | Applied |
| Protection of data | Protect sensitive messages and reduce data leaks Related capability: AES-256 encryption and unintentional disclosure | Applied |
| Continuity of business | Continuous support of mail service. Test failure and recovery paths. This capability does not replace a complete continuity or recovery plan. Related capability: Continuity of email | Applied |
| Access control | Helps reduce the risk of email account takeover Use only authorized paths and assets. Network isolation and remote-access approval requirements still apply. Related capability: Protection against account hacking | Applied |
“Applied” describes the capability in the illustrative example, not an implementation or compliance status for the customer.
Decision questions
Questions before you start
How do we know this solution is right for us?
Start with the risk signals on this page. If they match your environment, they can be turned into a short assessment that defines scope, priority, and a practical implementation approach.
How do we start without adding operational complexity?
Start with a focused risk and scope assessment, then define implementation priorities, technical requirements, and phased rollout steps.
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