Author: Dietrich von Staden

How to Keep Your Business Running When Microsoft 365 Goes Down

Summary: The tools that run your business, like Microsoft 365, your accounting app, or your booking system, are reliable most of the time, but they do go down. When one does, work can stop for hours, and you often can’t do anything but wait for the provider to fix it. A simple plan keeps your team working and your customers informed while you wait.

Most of your business probably runs in the cloud now. Email, files, accounting, bookings, payments, it’s all online. Then one day a service goes down, and nobody can send an email, open a file, or take a payment.

It doesn’t take a hacker for this to happen. In July 2024, a faulty software update from the security company CrowdStrike crashed millions of Windows computers around the world in a few hours. Microsoft estimated it hit 8.5 million devices, grounding flights and stopping work at banks and hospitals.

Outages happen, even to the big names

Microsoft 365 itself has had days where email or Teams stopped working for hours. Internet providers have bad days too, and when yours does, everything online goes with it. Any tool you depend on can go down.

So much of a small business runs on a handful of online services now, and if one goes down, the work that depends on it stops until it’s back. Being with a big, well-known provider doesn’t protect you from this.

What an outage does to a small business

When a key service goes down, your team can’t get to email or files, so work stops. If your payment or booking system is offline, you can’t take money or appointments. Customers try to reach you and can’t, and you can’t reach them either. Staff end up sitting around waiting.

You usually can’t fix it yourself. When a big provider has an outage, all you can do is wait for them to sort it out. The goal of a plan is to keep working, and keep customers informed, until they do.

What a simple plan covers

A good plan answers these questions:

Which tools are critical? List the handful of services that would stop the business if they’re down, like email, your payment system, or your booking tool. Ignore the ones you could live without for a day, and focus on the few that would halt the work.
How will people keep in touch? Have a backup way to reach staff and customers that doesn’t depend on the tool that’s down. That might be phone numbers, a group chat on a different app, or text messages.
What do you need reachable offline? Keep a copy of the essentials, like your customer contact list, key phone numbers, and important documents, somewhere you can open if the main system is down. A printout or a copy on a phone is enough.
Who’s in charge? Decide who makes the decisions during an outage and who keeps customers updated. When it’s clear in advance, people act instead of waiting to be told.
Where do you check, and who do you call? Know where to see whether it’s a wider outage, which is usually the provider’s status page, and who to call for help, which is usually your IT provider.

What to do the moment an outage hits

Check whether it’s just you. Look at the provider’s status page, or ask whether anyone else is having the same problem. If it’s a wider outage, there’s nothing to fix on your end, so stop trying.
Tell your team. Let people know what’s down and what to use instead, so nobody wastes an hour rebooting a laptop that was never the problem.
Switch to your backup way to communicate. Move to the phone, text, or another app so the team can still coordinate.
Tell customers if it affects them. If you can’t take bookings or payments, say so and tell them when to try again.
Note when it started and what’s affected. A couple of lines is enough. It helps you follow up afterward and spot anything that needs fixing once things are back.

A few things that make outages hurt less

Keep key files available offline. With OneDrive or SharePoint, recent files can sync to the device so you can still open them when the service is down. Ask your IT provider to make sure this is set up.
Have a backup way to get online. A mobile hotspot from a phone can get a few key people working again if your main internet drops.
Know your status pages. Bookmark the status page for Microsoft 365 and your other main tools. It’s the fastest way to tell whether the problem is them or you.
Keep contacts off the cloud. Have your important phone numbers and contacts somewhere that doesn’t need the internet, like a printout or your phone’s own contact list.
Ask your IT provider about alerts. Many can set up a warning that tells you about an outage before your customers do.

Keep your plan on one page

Keep this to a single page, somewhere you can reach without your main systems, whether that’s printed or in a separate app. Write down your critical tools, your backup way to communicate, where the essentials live, who’s in charge, and who to call. Review it once or twice a year so the names and numbers stay current.

Frequently asked questions

Isn’t the cloud always available?

No. Cloud services are reliable, but they still have outages, and even the biggest providers go down sometimes. The CrowdStrike outage in 2024 took millions of computers offline in a few hours. It’s safer to assume an outage will happen eventually and have a plan for it.

What should a continuity plan include?

The basics: which tools are critical, a backup way to reach staff and customers, where to find essential information if the main system is down, who’s in charge during an outage, and who to call for help. One page is enough for most small businesses.

What if the internet itself goes down, not just one app?

Plan for that too. A mobile hotspot from a phone can get key people back online, and a phone call still works when your systems don’t. Keep important numbers and contacts somewhere that doesn’t need the internet.

How can my team keep working if Microsoft 365 is down?

It depends on the work, but options include using files already saved on a synced device, switching to phone or text to stay in touch, and handling anything urgent on paper until service returns.

How long do outages usually last?

There’s no set answer. Some are fixed in minutes, others take most of a day. That’s the reason to plan around them, since you can’t count on a quick fix and you can’t speed it up from your end.

Whose job is this?

Yours, with help from your IT provider. They can tell you which of your tools are most at risk, set up things like synced files and a status-page alert, and help you write a simple plan.

Sources and further reading

Microsoft: Helping our customers through the CrowdStrike outage — Microsoft’s estimate that 8.5 million Windows devices were affected.
CISA: Widespread IT Outage Due to CrowdStrike Update — the US cyber agency’s alert on the incident.

If you’re not sure which of your tools would hurt most if they went down, or you’d like help putting a simple plan together, your IT provider can work through it with you. And if you don’t have an IT provider, feel free to reach out to us and we’ll help you sort it.

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This Article has been Republished with Permission from The Technology Press.

OneDrive or SharePoint? Where Your Business Files Should Live

Summary: If your business uses Microsoft 365, you have both OneDrive and SharePoint, and files usually end up scattered across them with no clear rule. OneDrive is for your own work, and SharePoint is for files the team shares. Getting this right makes files easier to find, safer when someone leaves, and easier to recover if something goes wrong.

If your business runs on Microsoft 365, you’ve got two places to store files: OneDrive and SharePoint. Most people are never told the difference, so files end up wherever is easiest, spread across OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, and the desktop.

That’s how you end up with the everyday headaches: a file nobody can find, a document only one person can open, and a scramble to recover someone’s work after they leave. The rule for where things should go is simple once you know what each one is for.

What each one is for

OneDrive is your own space. Think of it as the cloud version of the My Documents folder on your computer: your work files, private to you unless you choose to share them. It’s the right place for drafts and anything only you need.

SharePoint is the team’s space. It’s built for files with shared ownership, the documents your team, department, or the whole business works on together. Microsoft’s own advice is straightforward: if you’re working on something by yourself, save it to OneDrive; if you’re working as a team, save it where the team works.

Where Teams fits in

Microsoft Teams confuses this for a lot of people, because it looks like a third place to keep files. In reality, when you upload a file to a Teams channel, it’s stored in that team’s SharePoint site. The Files tab in Teams is just a view into SharePoint.

So if your team works in Teams, your shared files are already in SharePoint, whether you realized it or not. That’s a good thing. It means the files have shared ownership and don’t belong to one person’s account.

So where should your files live?

Here’s the rule that keeps things simple:

If it’s your own draft or something only you need, keep it in OneDrive.
If the team needs it, more than one person works on it, or it’s a client or project file, put it in SharePoint (or the Teams channel for that work, which is the same thing).
Don’t leave important shared files sitting only on someone’s desktop or only in their personal OneDrive.

Sharing files the right way

Where a file lives also changes how you share it.

When you share a file from your OneDrive, you’re sending people into your personal space, usually with a link tied to your account. That works, but the link depends on you. If you leave, or the file moves, those links can stop working, and whoever relied on them is stuck.

In SharePoint or a Teams channel, the right people already have access, because the files belong to the team rather than to you. You can point a colleague to the folder and they’re in, with no one-off links to manage.

It’s also worth sharing a link instead of emailing a copy. When everyone opens the same file in OneDrive or SharePoint, they’re all looking at the current version, and you avoid ending up with five slightly different copies attached to five different emails.

Why this matters

Putting files in the right place saves you real trouble later.

Take what happens when someone leaves. Their personal OneDrive isn’t shared by default, so any important work kept only there can be hard to reach. Microsoft holds a deleted user’s OneDrive for 30 days by default and gives their manager access, but that turns into a rush against the clock. Files kept in SharePoint stay with the team no matter who comes or goes.

It also makes files easier to find. When the team’s documents live in one shared SharePoint library, people know where to look, instead of hunting through inboxes and personal drives.

And it helps you recover from mistakes. Both OneDrive and SharePoint keep older versions of your files and a recycle bin, so if a document gets overwritten or ransomware scrambles your files, you can roll back to a clean copy instead of starting over.

How to get it right

Put shared work in SharePoint or Teams. Anything the team works on together belongs in a shared library. Keep it out of one person’s OneDrive.
Keep OneDrive for your own files. Drafts and personal work are fine there. Just don’t let it become the only home for something the team needs.
Get files off local desktops. A file saved only on a laptop isn’t backed up, isn’t shared, and is gone if the laptop is lost. Move important files into OneDrive or SharePoint. You can still work from your computer the way you always have: the OneDrive app keeps a copy on the device for offline use and saves your changes to the cloud automatically.
Agree where things go. A simple, shared rule, like “client files live in the client’s SharePoint folder,” saves endless confusion later.
Use version history when you need it. If a file gets changed or deleted by mistake, you or your IT provider can restore an earlier version rather than redoing the work.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between OneDrive and SharePoint in one line?

OneDrive is for your own work files. SharePoint is for files your team shares.

Where do files in a Teams channel get stored?

In SharePoint. Every team has a SharePoint site behind it, and the Files tab in a channel is a view into that site. Uploading a file to Teams is the same as putting it in SharePoint.

Should I keep work files on my computer’s desktop?

Try not to, for anything important. A file only on your desktop isn’t shared or backed up, and it’s gone if the device is lost or breaks. Save it to OneDrive or SharePoint instead, where it’s protected and reachable.

What happens to files in someone’s OneDrive when they leave?

By default, Microsoft keeps a deleted user’s OneDrive for 30 days and gives their manager access, and that window can be extended if it’s set up in advance. It’s recoverable, but it’s far easier if shared work was in SharePoint to begin with.

Can I get back a file that was deleted or changed by mistake?

Usually, yes. OneDrive and SharePoint both keep a recycle bin and older versions of files, so you can restore a deleted file or roll back to an earlier version. Your IT provider can help if you can’t find it.

Sources and further reading

Microsoft: Should I save files to OneDrive or SharePoint? — Microsoft’s own guidance on which to use.
Microsoft: File storage in Microsoft Teams — how Teams files are stored in SharePoint.
Microsoft: Set the OneDrive retention for deleted users — what happens to a leaver’s OneDrive and the 30-day default.

If your files are scattered and you’re not sure what should sit where, your IT provider can set up a simple structure in SharePoint and move things into the right place, so files are easy to find and safe when people come and go. And if you don’t have an IT provider, feel free to reach out to us and we’ll help you sort it.

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This Article has been Republished with Permission from The Technology Press.

Is Your Business Website a Security Risk?

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Summary: Most small-business websites run on WordPress, and the biggest risk is usually old plugins that nobody has updated. Attackers scan the web for these known weak spots and use the sites they find to spread malware, post spam, or steal what visitors type into forms. Keeping the site and its plugins updated, and knowing who is responsible for that, prevents most of it.

Your website is one of those things you set up once and then stop thinking about. It sits there doing its job, so there’s no reason to touch it. That’s exactly why a neglected website is one of the common ways a small business gets hacked.

Most small-business sites run on WordPress, which powers more than 40% of all websites, according to W3Techs. WordPress itself is solid. The risk is usually the plugins and themes added to it, which often don’t get updated for years.

How a neglected website gets hacked

Attackers don’t usually pick your business by name. They run automated tools that scan huge numbers of websites looking for known weak spots, like a plugin with a security hole that hasn’t been fixed. When the tool finds one, it breaks in. It’s all automatic, and it isn’t aimed at you personally.

That’s why old plugins are the problem. When a plugin maker finds a security flaw, they release an update to fix it. Until you install that update, the hole stays open, and the automated scanners know exactly what to look for. Security researchers who track WordPress flaws find that the large majority are in plugins and themes, not in WordPress itself.

What a hacked website is used for

A hacked website rarely announces itself. Instead of shutting your site down, attackers usually keep it running and use it for their own purposes:

Serving malware. Your site gets changed so that visitors are infected or pushed to a page that tries to install something.
Spam and scam pages. Attackers add hidden pages selling fake goods or pushing scams, riding on your site’s good standing with search engines.
Stealing form data. If your site has a contact or checkout form, a hacked site can copy what people type into it, including personal or payment details.
Redirects. Visitors who click your link get sent somewhere else, often a scam or malware site.

The damage lands on you even though the attacker was after your visitors. Search engines flag hacked sites with warnings and drop them down the rankings, and browsers may block them, so customers see a red “this site may be dangerous” screen instead of your homepage.

Is your website at risk?

It depends on how your site is built.

If you use a hosted website builder like Wix, Squarespace, or Shopify, most of the security and updates are handled for you behind the scenes, so your risk is lower.

If you have a self-hosted WordPress site, usually set up by a web designer or agency on your own hosting, then keeping WordPress, the plugins, and the themes updated is someone’s job. The question is whose. On a lot of small-business sites, the honest answer is that nobody has touched it since it launched.

You can usually tell your site is at risk if you don’t know who maintains it, it hasn’t been updated in a year or more, or it’s running plugins from a developer who has since disappeared.

How to keep your website safe

Keep everything updated. WordPress, plugins, and themes all need updating when new versions come out. Many sites can be set to update automatically.
Remove plugins you don’t use. Every extra plugin is another thing that can go wrong. If you’re not using it, delete it.
Stick to well-known plugins. Use ones that are popular, well-reviewed, and updated recently. Avoid anything that hasn’t been touched in years.
Watch for abandoned plugins. Sometimes a plugin stops being updated, or gets removed from the plugin store because of a security problem. When that happens it stops getting fixes, so check now and then that the plugins on your site are still supported, and replace any that aren’t.
Lock down the admin login. Use a strong, unique password for the website’s admin account, and turn on multi-factor authentication if your setup supports it.
Add a security plugin or web firewall. A reputable one can block common attacks and warn you when something changes. Your web host or IT provider can recommend one.
Keep backups. If the worst happens, a recent backup lets you restore the site instead of rebuilding it from scratch.
Know who’s responsible. Decide who looks after updates and security, whether that’s your web designer, your IT provider, or your hosting company, and make sure it’s clearly somebody’s job.

What to do if your site is hacked

If your site does get hacked, moving quickly limits the damage:

Get help straight away. Cleaning a hacked site properly is a job for your web host, IT provider, or a website security service. Most hosts have dealt with this many times and can help.
Take the site offline. Putting up a simple “down for maintenance” page stops visitors from being harmed while it’s cleaned up.
Change the passwords. From a device you know is clean, change the passwords for your hosting account and the website’s admin login, and turn on multi-factor authentication.
Restore a clean backup. If you have a backup from before the hack, restoring it is often the fastest fix. If you don’t, the site will need to be cleaned by hand.
Update and tidy up before it goes back live. Update WordPress, the plugins, and the themes, and remove anything you don’t recognize or no longer use, so the same hole doesn’t get used again.
Tell anyone whose data was affected. If the site handled customer details or payments, check whether any of that was exposed, and let those people know if it was.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my website has been hacked?

Common signs are a warning from Google or your browser, a drop in search traffic, pages or pop-ups you didn’t add, or your web host getting in touch about a problem. If you’re not sure, your IT provider or web host can check.

Do I need to update my website if it works fine?

Yes. A site can look completely normal to you while an out-of-date plugin leaves a door open for attackers. Updates close those holes, which is why they matter even when nothing looks wrong.

I use Wix or Squarespace. Am I at risk?

Much less so. Hosted builders handle the updates and most of the security for you. You should still use a strong admin password and MFA, but you’re not responsible for patching plugins the way a self-hosted WordPress site is.

Who should maintain my website?

Someone should own it clearly: your web designer or agency, your IT provider, or your hosting company, depending on your setup. The important thing is that someone is actually doing the updates.

What is a security plugin or web firewall?

It’s a tool that sits on your website, blocks common attacks, watches for changes, and can alert you to problems. On WordPress, a reputable security plugin is a common, low-cost way to add that protection.

Sources and further reading

W3Techs: WordPress usage statistics — the share of websites that run on WordPress.
Patchstack: WordPress vulnerability report — research showing most WordPress security holes are in plugins and themes.
NCSC: Small Business Guide — UK guidance on keeping software updated and patched.

If you’re not sure whether your website is being kept up to date, or who’s responsible for it, that’s worth sorting out before something goes wrong. Your IT provider or web host can check where things stand and take over the upkeep. And if you don’t have an IT provider, feel free to reach out to us and we’ll help you sort it.

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This Article has been Republished with Permission from The Technology Press.

Why You Should Scroll Past the First Result on Google

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Summary: Scammers buy ads on Google and other search engines using the names of trusted brands and software, so their fake site shows up at the very top, above the real one. Click it and you can land on a fake page that steals your login or installs malware. You can avoid nearly all of it by skipping the sponsored results and going to the real website yourself.

When you search Google for a program to download or a website to log into, the first thing you see is usually an ad. It sits at the top, marked “Sponsored,” and most people click it without a second thought, because the top result is normally what you wanted.

Scammers count on that. They buy ads on the names of trusted companies and popular software, so their fake site appears right at the top, above the real one, and you click it thinking it’s the official page.

How the scam works

The trick is called malvertising, short for malicious advertising. A scammer buys a search ad for a term people trust, like the name of your bank, a Microsoft login, or a common program such as a PDF reader or a video player. The ad looks normal, with the real brand name and a web address that looks right.

When someone clicks it, they land on a page built to look exactly like the real one. Sometimes that page asks you to log in and hands your username and password straight to the scammer. Other times it offers the software you were after, and the download installs malware instead of the real program.

Why these ads are so easy to fall for

These ads are convincing. They sit above the real result, so they’re the first thing you see. They use the real company’s name and a web address that looks right. And they show up on a search you started yourself, so they don’t feel as suspicious as a random email or text would.

Attackers have also gotten good at hiding from the checks meant to stop them. They show a clean, harmless page to the ad reviewers and the real, malicious page to everyone else, so the ad can pass review and still do damage.

How common is this?

Very. In its 2025 Ads Safety Report, Google said it blocked or removed more than 8.3 billion ads that broke its rules, suspended 24.9 million advertiser accounts, and took down 602 million ads tied to scams. Google also noted that criminals are now using AI to make fake ads faster.

Security researchers have found scam search ads pretending to be well-known programs like VLC, 7-Zip, and CCleaner, and even Google’s own apps, with downloads that installed password-stealing malware. These show up on the everyday searches your team runs.

What this means for your business

For a business, the risk comes up in two everyday situations: downloading software, and logging in.

When someone downloads software, they search for a tool, click the top ad, and install something that steals the passwords and logins saved in their browser.

When someone logs in, they search for “Microsoft 365 login” or their bank, click the ad rather than the official link, and type their username and password straight into a fake page.

In both cases, the problem is info-stealing malware. Once it’s on a machine, it can steal saved passwords, browser cookies, and session tokens, which can get an attacker into accounts even when multi-factor authentication is switched on.

How to protect your team

Scroll past the sponsored results. The ads sit at the top, marked “Sponsored” or “Ad.” The real website is usually just below, in the normal results.
Don’t download software from an ad. Type the maker’s web address yourself, or search and use the normal result, then download from the official site.
Bookmark the sites you log into. For your bank, Microsoft 365, and other important accounts, use a saved bookmark instead of searching each time.
Keep devices and browsers updated. Turn on automatic updates so a bad download is less likely to work.
Tell your team this is a thing. Most people have no idea the top result can be a trap, and once they know, they stop clicking it.

Frequently asked questions

Aren’t ads at the top of Google checked and safe?

Google reviews ads and removes billions that break its rules, but scammers still slip through by showing reviewers a clean page and everyone else the malicious one. A “Sponsored” label doesn’t mean the site is safe.

What is malvertising?

Malvertising is short for malicious advertising: scammers buy online ads, often on trusted brand names, to send people to fake sites that steal logins or install malware.

How do I download software safely?

Go to the maker’s official website by typing the address yourself, or search and use the normal (non-ad) result. Don’t download from a sponsored ad, and don’t trust a download that arrives through one.

What should I do if someone clicked a scam ad?

If they only visited the page, close it and don’t enter anything. If they typed a password, change it and turn on MFA. If they downloaded and ran a file, disconnect the device and have your IT provider check it for info-stealing malware.

Does an ad blocker help?

It can. A reputable ad blocker hides many sponsored results, which takes the fake links off the page before anyone can click them. It isn’t a complete fix, so keep the habits above too.

Sources and further reading

Google: 2025 Ads Safety Report — Google’s own figures on the scale of scam and policy-breaking ads.
FTC: Online search results — the good, the bad, and the scammy — US consumer guidance on scrolling past ads and downloading software safely.
BleepingComputer: Malware pushed via Google search ads for VLC, 7-Zip, CCleaner — a real example of scam ads impersonating popular software.

If you’d like to give your team a plain rundown of what a scam ad looks like, or tighten how software gets installed on your computers, your IT provider can help with both. And if you don’t have an IT provider, feel free to reach out to us and we’ll help you sort it.

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This Article has been Republished with Permission from The Technology Press.

How to Spot a Scam Email Now That They Look Real

Summary: Scammers now use AI to write their phishing emails, so the spelling and grammar mistakes that used to give them away are gone. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre and the FBI both warn that AI makes these messages cleaner, more personal, and harder to spot. The way to catch them now is to look at what an email is asking you to do, because the writing no longer gives anything away.

For years, the advice for spotting a scam email was simple: look for bad spelling and clumsy grammar. A real bank or supplier writes properly, the thinking went, so a message full of mistakes was probably fake. It was easy to teach, and for a long time it worked.

It doesn’t anymore. Scammers now use AI to write their emails, and AI writes cleanly. The typos and awkward phrasing that used to give phishing away are gone, and the messages landing in your team’s inbox read as well as anything from a real company. Worse, they can be written to sound like they came from someone you already know.

Why the old advice stopped working

The spelling-and-grammar tell worked because a lot of scammers were writing in a language that wasn’t their own, and the mistakes showed. AI took that away.

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre says generative AI can now create convincing phishing lures “without the translation, spelling and grammatical mistakes that often reveal phishing.” The FBI says the same: criminals use AI to limit the grammar and spelling errors that used to mark a message as fake, so it reads as believable. That means the one thing most people were trained to look for no longer tells you much.

Why these emails are so convincing now

The writing is clean. A scam email reads like a normal business email, because a machine wrote it in seconds, in whatever tone the attacker asked for.
It’s personal. Attackers can feed public details about your company into an AI tool, pulled from your website, your team’s LinkedIn profiles, or a press release, and get a message tailored to you: the right names, the right job titles, and a believable reason to be in touch.
There’s more of it. AI makes each message faster to produce, so attackers send far more. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center added a section on AI to its annual report for the first time, tied to more than 22,000 complaints and nearly $893 million in reported losses.

These days, the scam email isn’t the obvious one anymore. Instead of “Dear customer, your account is suspended,” someone in your finance team gets a message that looks like it’s from a supplier they really deal with, mentions a real project, and asks to update the bank details for the next invoice. It reads exactly like a real supplier email. The only thing wrong is that the supplier never sent it.

Your spam filter won’t catch them all

It’s tempting to assume your email security will handle this. It catches a lot, and you should keep it switched on. But a well-written, personalized email that asks a normal-sounding question doesn’t always look dangerous to a filter, especially when it carries no obvious bad link or attachment. Both the NCSC and the FBI expect AI to push more of these messages through, which is why the last line of defense is a person who knows what to check.

It’s not just email anymore

AI has done the same thing to phone calls and texts. The FBI warns that criminals can clone a voice from a short audio clip, enough to leave a voicemail that sounds like your boss or a family member asking for an urgent payment. The same thing that makes AI emails so convincing makes AI phone scams convincing too. The defense is the same: if a call or voicemail asks for money or logins, hang up and call the person back on a number you already have.

Here are the signs you should still pay attention to

If you can’t trust how an email is written, look at what it’s asking you to do. That’s where the real warning signs are, and AI hasn’t changed them:

It asks for money, gift cards, or a payment to a new account.
It asks for a login, a verification code, or personal details.
It creates pressure: a deadline, a threat, or a “do this now.”
It asks you to change the bank details for an invoice or a supplier.
It comes with a link or attachment you weren’t expecting.
The display name looks right, but the actual email address doesn’t match it.

Every one of these is about what the email is asking for. So the rule to teach your team is simple: when a message is about money, logins, or how you pay someone, slow down before you act.

How to protect your team

Check money and login requests another way. If an email asks you to pay a new account or change a supplier’s bank details, call the person on a number you already have. Don’t reply to the email or use a number it gives you.
Stop telling staff to watch for bad spelling. Tell them to look at what the email is asking for, and to slow down when it’s about money or logins.
Make one rule for payment changes: confirm every change to bank details by phone, even when it’s urgent.
Turn on phishing-resistant MFA or passkeys, so a stolen password is harder to use even if someone gets tricked.
Make it easy to report a suspicious email and make sure nobody feels silly for checking.
Remind the team now and then that scam emails look perfect these days. A quick five-minute chat beats a poster nobody reads.

Frequently asked questions

Can you still spot a phishing email by bad spelling and grammar?

Not reliably. Attackers use AI to write clean, correct emails now, so a message with perfect spelling can still be a scam. Judge it by what it asks you to do.

What are the warning signs that still work?

The request itself: paying money, changing bank details, sharing a login or code, or being pushed to act urgently. Those signs don’t depend on how the email reads.

Is AI-generated phishing really more effective?

Yes. The NCSC and the FBI have both warned that AI makes phishing more convincing and more personal, and the FBI has tied AI to tens of thousands of fraud complaints and hundreds of millions in losses. Cleaner, tailored messages get opened and clicked more often.

Will my spam filter stop AI phishing?

It will catch a lot, and you should keep it on. But a well-written, personalized email with no obvious bad link can still look legitimate to a filter, so don’t rely on it alone. A trained person is the backstop.

What should staff do if they aren’t sure about a message?

Slow down and check through a channel they trust, like calling a known number or asking the person directly. And report it, even if it turns out to be genuine.

Sources and further reading

• NCSC: The near-term impact of AI on the cyber threat — the UK cyber agency on AI producing phishing lures without the usual spelling and grammar mistakes.

• FBI IC3: Criminals Use Generative AI to Facilitate Financial Fraud — how criminals use AI-generated text and cloned voices, and how it removes the usual signs of fraud.

If you’d like help teaching your team what to watch for, or turning on phishing-resistant logins so a fooled password doesn’t turn into a break-in, your IT provider can set both up. And if you don’t have an IT provider, feel free to reach out to us and we’ll help you sort it.

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What to Do in Case of a Cyberattack (Step by Step)

Article Summary: If your business is hit by a cyberattack, the first hour matters. Disconnect the affected devices from the network instead of powering them off, call your IT provider by phone, and leave the evidence in place. If money was wired to a scammer, call your bank right away. This post is the step-by-step plan, plus where to report an attack in the US, UK, and Australia.

If a cyberattack hits your business, what you do in the first hour really matters.

It’s also the easiest time to make a costly mistake, like turning off the wrong machine, deleting evidence, or replying from an email account the attacker is already reading.

The steps below tell you what to do, in order, so you’re not guessing in the moment.

Doing these steps doesn’t require technical knowledge.

Before anything else: don’t make it worse

Before you touch anything, avoid these:

Don’t turn the affected computer off, if you can avoid it. Disconnecting it from the network is better, because powering it down can wipe evidence that helps work out what happened.
Don’t delete anything. Leave the ransom note, the suspicious email, and any alerts exactly where they are. They’re what your IT team and investigators will need.
Don’t pay a ransom on the spot.
Don’t use the hacked email or accounts to talk about the attack. If an attacker is in your inbox, they can read those messages. Switch to phone calls or a different account.

The step by step

Work through these in order, starting the moment you notice something’s wrong.

Disconnect the affected devices from the network. Unplug the network cable and turn off Wi-Fi on anything that looks affected. This stops the problem spreading to other computers and to your backups. CISA’s guidance is to isolate devices rather than power them off where you can, and to shut a device down only if you can’t get it off the network any other way.
Call your IT provider straight away, by phone. Don’t email, in case the attacker is watching your inbox. If you have cyber insurance, call them next, because many policies require you to involve their incident team early.
Leave the evidence alone. Don’t wipe, reinstall, or tidy up the affected machines yet. Screenshots of the ransom note or suspicious emails are useful, but keep the originals too.
If money was sent, call your bank immediately. Ask them to recall the transfer and freeze it if they can. With wire and bank fraud, acting in the first few hours makes the biggest difference.
Reset passwords from a clean device, and turn on multi-factor authentication. Start with email and any admin accounts, and use a device you know isn’t affected.
Report it. That can help you recover, and it’s sometimes legally required. Where to report depends on your country.

Where to report it

You’ve reaWhere you report depends on where you are:

United States: file with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), and report to CISA.
United Kingdom: report through the NCSC, and to Action Fraud.
Australia: report through ReportCyber, or call the 24/7 hotline on 1300 CYBER1.

If money was wired to a scammer, report it fast.

The FBI says reporting wire fraud to IC3 within 72 hours gives its Recovery Asset Team the best chance of clawing it back, and that team recovers funds in about 70% of the cases reported in time.

If personal data about your customers or staff was exposed, you may be legally required to notify a regulator and the people affected, sometimes within 72 hours.

The rules depend on where you operate, like GDPR in the UK and Europe, state breach-notification laws in the US, and the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme in Australia.

Ask your lawyer or IT provider early so you don’t miss a deadline.

Should you pay the ransom?

If it’s ransomware, the big question is whether to pay.

The FBI does not recommend it. Paying doesn’t guarantee you get your files back, it marks you as a business that pays, and the money funds more attacks.

It’s ultimately your decision, but it’s one to make with law enforcement, your IT or incident-response team, and your insurer, not alone in the first panicked hour.

Sometimes a free decryption tool already exists for the exact ransomware that hit you, which is one more reason to get the experts involved before you pay anyone.

The best time to prepare is before it happens

All of this is far easier if you’ve decided some of it in advance. You don’t need a thick binder, just a simple plan that covers:

Who to call first (your IT provider, your insurer) and their numbers, kept somewhere you can reach without your main systems.
Where your backups are, and proof they’ve been tested by restoring from them.
Which accounts and devices matter most, so you know what to protect first.

A single page covering those is enough for most small businesses, and it’ll save you a lot of scrambling if the day ever comes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the first thing to do in a cyberattack?

Disconnect the affected devices from the network, by unplugging the network cable and turning off Wi-Fi, then call your IT provider by phone. Getting the device off the network stops the problem spreading while you get help.

Should I turn off the computer if I get ransomware?

If you can, disconnect it from the network instead of powering it off. Shutting it down can wipe evidence stored in memory that helps work out what happened. Only power a device off if you can’t get it off the network any other way.

Should I pay the ransom?

The FBI does not recommend it. Paying doesn’t guarantee you get your data back, and it funds more attacks. Make that decision with law enforcement, your IT or incident-response team, and your insurer, and check whether a free decryption tool already exists first.

We wired money to a scammer. What do we do?

Call your bank immediately and ask them to recall the transfer. If you’re in the US, report it to the FBI’s IC3 within 72 hours, because reported quickly, their Recovery Asset Team recovers the money in about 70% of cases. In other countries, contact your bank and your national reporting service straight away.

Who do I report a cyberattack to?

In the US, the FBI’s IC3 and CISA. In the UK, the NCSC and Action Fraud. In Australia, ReportCyber. Also tell your cyber insurer, and check whether you have a legal duty to notify a regulator if personal data was exposed.

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This Article has been Republished with Permission from The Technology Press.

What Are Passkeys, and Should Your Business Use Them?

Article Summary: A passkey lets you sign in to an app or website using the same fingerprint, face, or PIN you use to unlock your phone or laptop, with no password to type. It’s built on a security standard called FIDO that can’t be phished, because the passkey only works on the real site and there’s no password to steal or reuse. Most major platforms and a growing list of business tools support passkeys, and Microsoft 365 includes them at no extra cost. For most businesses, it’s worth starting to roll them out, beginning with the most sensitive accounts.

Passwords are the weak point in most businesses.

People reuse them across accounts, write them on sticky notes, and type them into convincing fake login pages without realizing it.

Passkeys are the technology built to replace passwords, and they fix the parts that cause the most trouble.

A passkey lets you sign in with the same fingerprint, face scan, or PIN you already use to unlock your phone or laptop. There’s no password to type, so there’s nothing for an attacker to steal, guess, or trick out of you.

Let’s look at what passkeys are, why they’re so much harder to attack than passwords, and whether your business should start using them.

What is a passkey?

A passkey replaces your password with your device’s own security.

Instead of typing a password, you prove it’s you the same way you unlock your phone: a fingerprint, a face scan, or a PIN.

When you set up a passkey for a website, your device creates two matching keys.

The private key stays locked on your device and never leaves it.

The public key is stored by the website.

When you sign in, the site sends a challenge that only your private key can answer, your device answers it once you confirm with your fingerprint or PIN, and you’re in. The website never sees a password, because there isn’t one. This approach comes from a standard called FIDO, which Apple, Google, and Microsoft all build on.

Why passkeys are harder to attack than passwords

A password is a secret you share with the website every time you log in, and that’s exactly what attackers go after.

A passkey has no shared secret. That one difference fixes the biggest problems with passwords.

They can’t be phished. A passkey only works on the real website it was created for. Land on a convincing fake, and the passkey simply won’t work, so there’s nothing to hand over. That matters, because phishing is how most break-ins start.
There’s no password to steal in a breach. The website only keeps your public key, which is useless on its own. If the company gets hacked, there’s no password list to grab and try on your other accounts.
Nothing to reuse or forget. Each passkey is unique to one site and made automatically, so reused and weak passwords stop being a problem.

Older methods like text-message codes and app approval prompts can still be tricked out of people.

Where you can use passkeys already

Support has spread fast.

You can already sign in with passkeys to Microsoft, Google, and Apple accounts, plus a growing list of banks, password managers, and business tools.

Apple, Google, and Microsoft have built passkeys into their phones, laptops, and browsers, so the device in your pocket can already store and use them.

There are two types worth knowing.

A synced passkey is backed up to your Apple, Google, or Microsoft account, so it works across all your devices and you’re covered if you lose one.

A device-bound passkey stays on a single device, like a physical security key you plug in, which is the most locked-down option and a common pick for sensitive accounts.

Should your business use them?

For most businesses, yes, and you can start small. There’s no need to switch everything overnight or drop passwords on day one.

If you use Microsoft 365, passkeys are already available through Microsoft Entra.

Staff can sign in with a passkey stored in the Microsoft Authenticator app, a security key, or their own device. Google Workspace supports them too.

They’re also just faster. Microsoft says signing in with a synced passkey takes about 3 seconds, against roughly 69 seconds for a password plus a traditional MFA code. Across a whole team, that adds up.

Here’s how you can start using passkeys:

Turn passkeys on for your most sensitive accounts first: administrators, finance, and anyone who can move money or change systems.
Let everyone else add a passkey as a faster, safer way to sign in, alongside their normal login at first.
Make sure each person has a backup, like a second device or a security key, so a lost phone doesn’t lock anyone out.

Your IT provider can switch this on and run the rollout so nobody gets locked out along the way.

What to watch out for

Passkeys aren’t magic, and a few things are worth planning for.

Account recovery. If someone loses the only device with their passkey and has no backup, they can get locked out. A synced passkey or a second registered device fixes this, but you have to set it up ahead of time.
Not everything supports them yet. Support is growing fast, but some older systems and smaller vendors still rely on passwords, so you’ll run both side by side for a while.
Shared devices and logins. Passkeys are tied to a person and their device, so any shared computers or shared accounts need their own plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a passkey in simple terms?

It’s a way to log in using your fingerprint, face, or PIN instead of a password. Your device proves it’s you to the website, and no password is ever typed or stored.

Are passkeys safer than passwords?

Yes. They can’t be phished, there’s no password for a hacker to steal in a data breach, and there’s nothing to reuse or forget. Security agencies like CISA recommend FIDO-based logins, which is what passkeys are, as the strongest widely available option.

What happens if I lose the device with my passkey?

If it was a synced passkey, it’s backed up to your Apple, Google, or Microsoft account and still available on your other devices. If it was device-bound and you have no backup, you’d use a recovery method to get back in, which is why setting up a second passkey or device in advance matters.

Does Microsoft 365 support passkeys?

Yes. Passkeys are available through Microsoft Entra at no extra cost, including the free tier. Staff can use a passkey in the Microsoft Authenticator app, a security key, or their device.

Do passkeys replace multi-factor authentication?

A passkey can count as multi-factor authentication on its own. Unlocking it needs both your device (something you have) and your fingerprint, face, or PIN (something you are or know), so it covers two factors in one step and can replace the old password-plus-text-code routine.

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This Article has been Republished with Permission from The Technology Press.

Still on Windows 10? Here’s Why You’re Putting Your Business at Risk

Article Summary: Windows 10 reached the end of Microsoft support on October 14, 2025, which means it no longer gets security updates. The computers still work, but any new flaw found in Windows 10 will never be fixed, which makes them easier to attack and can cause problems with compliance and cyber insurance. You have three options: upgrade eligible PCs to Windows 11 for free, pay for Extended Security Updates as a short-term bridge, or replace machines too old to upgrade.

Microsoft stopped supporting Windows 10 on October 14, 2025.

If your business is still running it, and plenty are, your computers aren’t getting security updates anymore.

Everything still turns on and works like normal, which is exactly why it’s easy to put off doing anything about it. The trouble is, the longer you stay on Windows 10, the more security holes pile up that nobody is ever going to fix.

So what does it mean for your business, and what are your options?

There are three: upgrade to Windows 11, pay for extended updates to buy some time, or replace the machine.

Let’s go through what you’re dealing with first.

What “end of support” means

When Microsoft ends support for a version of Windows, the updates stop. That includes the monthly security patches that fix newly found flaws.

Microsoft has confirmed that since October 14, 2025, Windows 10 gets no more security fixes, quality updates, feature updates, or technical support.

Your PCs don’t stop working. Nothing switches off the moment support ends. What’s different now is that Microsoft has stopped fixing Windows 10’s security flaws.

Attackers and security researchers keep finding new ones, and now nobody’s patching them. So every new flaw that turns up is another way into your computers, and it never gets fixed.

Why this is a real risk for your business

This is about more than an old, slow computer.

They’re an easy target. Attackers go looking for computers running software that doesn’t get fixed anymore, because they know the flaws will just sit there. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre points out that holes in unsupported products stay exploitable, often by fairly low-skilled attackers.
You can fall out of compliance. If you handle card payments, health records, or personal data, rules like PCI DSS and HIPAA expect you to run supported, patched software. Windows 10 no longer counts, which can put you out of compliance.
It can hit your cyber insurance. Insurers are asking more and more whether your systems are supported and patched. Running an unsupported operating system can push your premium up, shrink your coverage, or give the insurer a reason to fight a claim.
Your other software will drop it. Over time, browsers, accounting tools, and other programs stop supporting Windows 10, so the apps you rely on every day can stop updating, or stop working altogether.

CISA puts running supported, updated software on its short list of basic security steps for businesses.

<H2>Your three options</H2>

You’ve really got three options, and most businesses end up mixing them across their computers.

1. Upgrade to Windows 11(free, if the hardware qualifies)

If you bought the PC in the last few years, upgrading to Windows 11 is free, and it’s usually the right move. The catch is the hardware. Windows 11 needs a supported processor, TPM 2.0, and Secure Boot, and that rules out a lot of older machines. To check whether a particular PC qualifies, run Microsoft’s free PC Health Check app.

2. Buy Extended Security Updates as a bridge

If a PC can’t move to Windows 11 yet, Microsoft will sell you Extended Security Updates (ESU) to keep the security patches coming for a while longer.

For businesses, that’s $61 per device for the first year, and it doubles every year after that, up to three years.

Keep one PC on Windows 10 the whole time and you’re looking at around $427 over those three years.

Home users get a much cheaper deal. A one-time $30 payment covers up to 10 devices with security updates through October 12, 2027, and it’s free if you sync your PC settings.

ESU gives you security patches and nothing else. No new features, no real tech support. It’s there to buy you time while you sort out the upgrade or a new machine.

3. Replace the PC

Some machines are just too old for Windows 11 and not worth paying ESU on year after year.

For those, buying a new PC that already runs Windows 11 usually works out cheaper, once you add up the ESU fees and the cost of keeping an old machine going.

How to plan the move

You don’t have to do all of this at once, but you do need a plan. A sensible order looks like this:

Make a list of every computer still on Windows 10.
Check which ones can move to Windows 11, using the PC Health Check app or your IT provider.
Upgrade the ones that qualify. It’s free, and it keeps your files and programs in place.
For the rest, choose between ESU to buy time or replacing the machine, depending on how old it is and what it’s used for.

Your IT provider can run that inventory quickly and tell you the best option for each machine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Windows 10 still safe to use after October 2025?

It still works, but it’s not getting security updates anymore, so the risk creeps up as new flaws are found and left unpatched. If you’re going to keep using it, either enroll in Extended Security Updates or plan your move to Windows 11.

What happens if I keep using Windows 10 and do nothing?

Your PCs will keep running, but they turn into an easier target for attackers, can put you out of compliance with payment and privacy rules, and may cause problems with your cyber insurance. And over time, the apps you depend on will start dropping Windows 10 too.

How much does Windows 10 ESU cost for a business?

For businesses, it’s $61 per device for the first year and doubles each year after that, up to three years, which comes to about $427 per device in total. Home users get a better deal: a one-time $30 payment covers up to 10 devices through October 12, 2027, or it’s free if you sync your PC settings.

Can my PC upgrade to Windows 11 for free?

If it meets the hardware requirements, yes. Windows 11 needs a supported processor, TPM 2.0, and Secure Boot. The PC Health Check app will tell you whether a specific machine qualifies, and PCs from the last few years usually do.

Should I just buy a new computer?

If a PC can’t run Windows 11, a new one is often cheaper than paying escalating ESU fees for years on top of running aging hardware. If it can upgrade, start with the free Windows 11 upgrade.

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Who Can See What Your AI Note-Taker Records?

teacher-video-calling-with-his-students-using-a-computer

Article Summary: AI note-takers join your meetings, transcribe everything said, and save the recording and summary to the vendor’s servers. Who can see that recording depends on the tool. Some keep your data inside your own Microsoft or Google environment and never use it for training, while others store it on their own servers and may use it to improve their AI. Some also auto-join meetings from your calendar without anyone pressing record. Before you let one into a client or staff meeting, it’s worth knowing where the recording goes and getting everyone’s consent.

AI note-takers have become normal in a short time.

You start a Teams, Zoom, or Google Meet call, a bot joins to record the conversation, and minutes later everyone gets a tidy summary with action items.

It saves real time, which is why staff often adopt these tools on their own, before anyone has asked where the recording ends up.

The problem is, every word of the meeting, including the parts you would never put in writing, gets captured, stored somewhere, and read by whoever has access. Few business owners have stopped to ask who that includes, or what happens to the recording afterward.

What an AI note-taker actually does

An AI note-taker is a tool that joins a meeting, records the audio and sometimes the video, turns the speech into a written transcript, and produces a summary. Common ones include Microsoft 365 Copilot in Teams, Otter, Fireflies, and Fathom.

Most connect to your calendar so they can join automatically, and some will sit in on any meeting on your schedule unless you turn that setting off.

The recording and transcript do not disappear when the call ends.

They are saved, usually in the cloud, where they can be searched, shared, and exported later.

Where they are saved, and who can reach them, depends on which tool you use.

Who can see the recording?

Start with the obvious group: anyone the meeting organizer shares the summary with.

Many note-takers email the transcript to every attendee by default, and some send it to people who were invited but never joined. When the meeting covered a sensitive topic, that distribution list matters.

Then there is the tool’s own access.

With a cloud note-taker, the recording sits on the vendor’s servers, which means the vendor’s systems, and in some cases its staff, can reach it under the terms you agreed to.

If the tool auto-joined from someone’s calendar, the recording may live on an account you do not control, belonging to whichever employee connected the bot.

A law firm publication on the legal risks of AI note-takers warned that letting a note-taker vendor access or use your transcripts for its own purposes can even risk waiving attorney-client privilege for businesses that handle legal matters.

Does the tool use your meetings to train its AI?

This is where tools differ the most, and it is worth checking before you choose one.

Microsoft states that Copilot in Teams does not use your prompts, responses, or meeting content to train its AI models, and that the data stays inside your organization’s Microsoft 365 environment.

Microsoft’s privacy documentation says this directly, and notes the content is processed within the Microsoft 365 service boundary rather than on the public version of the AI.

Third-party note-takers vary widely.

Some store your recordings on their own servers and, depending on the terms you accept, may use that data to improve their models.

Others say they do not train on customer data at all. The only way to know is to read the specific tool’s privacy terms, because two tools that look almost identical can treat your data very differently.

The consent question

Recording a meeting is not always yours to decide alone, and the rules change depending on where you and the other people are.

In around a dozen U.S. states, and in most Australian states, everyone in a conversation has to agree to being recorded.

Federal U.S. law, most other states, and the UK allow recording when one participant consents.

On top of that, the UK and Europe treat recording people as handling their personal data, so under GDPR you generally have to tell participants you are recording, explain why, and have a proper reason for doing it.

That’s why the safest way to go about this is to tell people the meeting is being recorded, explain why, and give them a chance to object before the bot starts.

For client meetings, HR conversations, and anything covered by confidentiality, that matters even more, and in some cases you should check with a lawyer before recording at all.

How to use AI note-takers safely

You don’t have to ban these tools to use them responsibly.

Do this instead:

Pick an approved tool and say so. Decide which note-taker your business uses, and ask staff not to connect others to company meetings. This keeps your recordings in one place you control.
Turn off auto-join. Set the tool to join only when someone chooses to record, rather than automatically for every meeting on a calendar.
Announce recording and get consent. Make it normal to say a meeting is being recorded at the start, and to skip recording when someone objects.
Prefer tools that keep data in your environment. A note-taker that stores recordings inside your own Microsoft or Google tenant, and does not train on your data, is easier to control than one that holds everything on its own servers.
Control who gets the summary. Check the default sharing setting so transcripts are not emailed to everyone, including people who missed the meeting.
Keep bots out of sensitive meetings. For legal, HR, financial, and confidential client conversations, the default should be no recording unless there is a clear reason and everyone agrees.

If you use Microsoft 365, an administrator can control whether Copilot and transcription are allowed in Teams meetings. That gives you one place to set the rule, instead of relying on each person to get it right.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it legal to record a meeting with an AI note-taker?

It depends on where everyone in the meeting is. Around a dozen U.S. states and most Australian states require everyone to consent. The UK, federal U.S. law, and most U.S. states allow it with one person’s consent, though in the UK and Europe you also have to inform people and have a valid reason under data-protection law. The safe approach everywhere is to announce the recording and let people object before it starts.

Does Microsoft Copilot use my meeting data to train its AI?

No. Microsoft states that Copilot in Teams does not use your meeting content, prompts, or responses to train its foundation AI models, and that the data stays within your organization’s Microsoft 365 environment.

Can an AI note-taker join a meeting without me knowing?

Yes. Many tools connect to a user’s calendar and can auto-join meetings, sometimes ones the user isn’t even attending. You can turn auto-join off so the bot only records when someone chooses to start it.

Where are AI note-taker recordings stored?

In the cloud. With Microsoft Copilot, the data stays inside your Microsoft 365 tenant. With many third-party tools, recordings sit on the vendor’s own servers. Where they live and who can reach them depends on the tool, so check its terms.

Should we let staff use Otter or Fireflies for work?

You can, with rules in place. Choose one approved tool, turn off auto-join, announce recording and get consent, check how the tool handles your data, and keep it out of legal, HR, and confidential client meetings.

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How to Stop Scammers from Sending Emails in Your Company’s Name

Article Summary: Email spoofing is when a scammer sends a message that appears to come from your domain, often to trick your clients or staff into paying a fake invoice or changing banking details. Three DNS records (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC) prove that a message really came from you and tell receiving mail servers to reject the ones that didn’t. The catch is that DMARC only protects you once it’s set to “quarantine” or “reject,” and a lot of businesses leave it on “none,” which monitors but does not block.

Right now, with no special tools, someone could send an email that looks like it came from your company.

The From line would show your domain, your logo could be pasted into the message, and it could ask one of your clients to pay an invoice or update banking details. This is called email spoofing, and it is one of the most common ways fraud against your clients and suppliers begins.

There are three settings you can add to your domain that make this much harder to pull off.

They’re called SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

Most businesses have one or two of them set up and the third missing.

That’s usually all it takes to let a spoofed email through. This post explains what each one does, the setting most businesses get wrong, and how to check your own domain.

Why scammers can send email in your company’s name

Email was built in a more trusting time.

The system that delivers mail does not, on its own, check that the sender is who they claim to be. The From address on an email is about as trustworthy as the return address handwritten on an envelope. Anyone can write anything there, and the mail still gets delivered.

Spoofing takes advantage of that.

A scammer puts your domain in the From field, sends the message, and unless your domain is set up to prevent it, the receiving mail server has no reason to question it. The message lands in your client’s inbox looking like it came from you. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre publishes anti-spoofing guidance for exactly this reason.

The three records that stop email spoofing

Three DNS records work together to prove an email really came from your domain. You add them once, at your domain registrar or DNS host, and receiving mail servers check them on every message you send.

SPF (Sender Policy Framework)<

SPF is a list of the mail servers allowed to send email for your domain, published as a DNS record. When a receiving server gets a message claiming to be from you, it checks whether the sending server is on that list. If a server that isn’t on the list tries to send as your domain, SPF flags it.

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)

DKIM adds a tamper-proof signature to every message you send. Your mail server signs outgoing email with a private key, and the matching public key sits in your DNS. The receiving server checks the signature to confirm two things: the message really came from your domain, and nobody altered it along the way.

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance)

DMARC ties the other two together and tells receiving servers what to do when a message fails the check. It also confirms that the domain in the visible From address matches the domain SPF and DKIM verified, which is the part that stops someone forging your exact address.

And it sends you reports showing who is sending email using your domain, including the senders who shouldn’t be.

The DMARC setting most businesses get wrong

DMARC has three policy settings, and choosing the wrong one is a common mistake.

p=none tells receiving servers to do nothing when a message fails. It only monitors and sends you reports. Your domain can still be spoofed.
p=quarantine tells them to send failing messages to the junk folder.
p=reject tells them to block failing messages before they ever arrive.

A lot of businesses set up DMARC at p=none, watch the reports come in, and never move past it. At p=none, you get reports but your domain still isn’t protected.

Real protection only starts at quarantine or reject.

Microsoft’s own guidance is to work toward p=reject once you’ve confirmed your legitimate mail passes.

What SPF, DKIM, and DMARC don’t stop

These records stop someone from forging your exact domain.

There are two things they don’t catch, though, and both are worth knowing about.

Lookalike domains. A scammer can register a domain that resembles yours, like yourcompany-invoices.com, or yourcompany.co instead of .com, and send from that. Your records protect your real domain, not a different one the attacker owns.
Display-name spoofing. The name shown in the From line can read “Your Company Accounts” while the real address behind it is a random Gmail account. DMARC checks the domain, not the display name.

For those, you still need the habits that catch any phishing attempt: check the full email address rather than just the display name, and verify any request to change payment details by calling a known number, not one from the email.

Why this matters even if you don’t send bulk email

The first reason is protection.

These records stop scammers from impersonating your domain to your clients, your suppliers, and your own staff.

The second is deliverability.

The major mailbox providers now require these records from anyone sending in volume.

Since February 2024, Google and Yahoo have required bulk senders, meaning those sending more than 5,000 messages a day, to use SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

Microsoft began applying similar requirements to Outlook.com and Hotmail in 2025, routing non-compliant high-volume mail to junk and then rejecting it.

Even below those thresholds, a domain with proper authentication is more likely to reach the inbox than the spam folder.

How to check and fix your domain

You can get a rough sense of where you stand without any technical work.

Several free DMARC and SPF checkers let you type in your domain and see which records exist. That tells you whether the records are present, though not whether they’re configured correctly.

Fixing them properly is a job for whoever manages your IT or your domain.

The records live in your DNS, and a mistake can send your own legitimate email to spam, so the rollout is done in stages:

Publish SPF and DKIM so all of your real mail sources are covered.
Add DMARC at p=none and read the reports to confirm your legitimate mail passes.
Move DMARC to p=quarantine, then to p=reject, once the reports look clean.

Microsoft recommends this same gradual path, starting at none and working toward reject, so you protect the domain without blocking your own mail on the way.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is email spoofing?

Email spoofing is when someone sends a message with your domain in the From address to make it look like it came from your company. It’s used to trick your clients, suppliers, or staff into paying fake invoices, changing banking details, or handing over information.

What are SPF, DKIM, and DMARC in simple terms?

SPF is a list of servers allowed to send email for your domain. DKIM is a signature that proves a message came from you and wasn’t altered. DMARC ties the two together, tells receiving servers to reject messages that fail, and reports who is sending email as your domain.

Does DMARC stop all email impersonation?

No. DMARC stops someone forging your exact domain. It does not stop lookalike domains (like yourcompany-invoices.com) or display-name spoofing, where the sender’s name says your company but the address behind it is different. Those still need staff awareness and payment-verification habits.

Will setting up DMARC block my own emails?

Not if you roll it out gradually. Starting at p=none lets you watch the reports and confirm your legitimate mail passes before you move to quarantine and then reject. Skipping straight to reject without checking first is what causes problems.

Do I need these records if I don’t send many emails?

Yes. They protect your domain from being spoofed regardless of how much email you send, and they help your messages reach the inbox. Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft now expect proper authentication, and mail without it is more likely to be filtered.

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This Article has been Republished with Permission from The Technology Press.