Microsoft is releasing inbound SMTP DANE with DNSSEC for Exchange Online in public preview, a new feature to strengthen email integrity and security.
See also: Microsoft limits Exchange Online bulk emails
As the Exchange team explained on Wednesday, Named Entity Authentication (DANE) for SMTP and DNSwork together to defend against deprecation and Man-in-the-Middle (MiTM).
The DANE SMTP security protocol uses a TLS Authentication (TLSA) DNS to verify the identity of destination mail servers and the authenticity of certificates used to secure email communication.
This provides secure connections between sending and receiving servers and helps prevent TLS deprecation and MiTM, where malicious actors monitor or alter communications.
On the other hand, DNSSEC DNS extensions provide cryptographic verification of DNS records in transit, preventing email spoofing, hijacking , and eavesdropping.
Once enabled in Exchange Online, Inbound SMTP DANE with DNSSEC will protect email domains from impersonation, ensure that messages are delivered to their intended recipients using encryption without being modified or redirected, and improve email reputation by complying with the latest security standards.
See also: Exchange Online: Email delivery issues due to anti-spam rules
The Exchange team shared a release roadmap that says the new feature will roll out to all Outlook in late 2024:
- August 2024 – Introduction of SMTP DANE with DNSSEC and MTA-STS reporting in the Exchange admin center
- October 2024 – General availability of Inbound SMTP DANE with DNSSEC
- End of 2024 – Deploy Inbound SMTP DANE with DNSSEC for all Outlook domains. Migrate mail file provisioning for all newly created Accepted Domains to DNSSEC-enabled infrastructure under *.mx.microsoft
- February 2025 – Mandatory outbound SMTP DANE, defined per tenant/per remote domain
Microsoft will provide this new feature to business and home customers for free and says it is already enabled for some Outlook domains.
After this new feature goes live, Microsoft will end Exchange Online support for SMTP DANE with DNSSEC, as outbound SMTP DANE with DNSSEC is supported since March 2022.
See also: Microsoft 365: Outage causes Exchange Online connectivity issues
Exchange Online is a cloud-based email and calendar service provided by Microsoft. It is designed to provide users with a reliable and secure platform for managing their communication and scheduling needs. As part of the Microsoft 365 suite, Exchange Online integrates seamlessly with other applications , offering features such as shared calendars, mailbox delegation, and strong security measures, including anti-malware and anti-spam protection. In addition, it supports a variety of devices and clients, allowing users to access their email and calendars from virtually anywhere. With automatic updates and an affordable service level agreement, Exchange Online ensures that users have minimal downtime and always have access to the latest features.
Source: bleepingcomputer
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