Business Email Compromise: Ultimate prevention guide

Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks have become one of the most financially devastating cyber threats facing organizations today. In 2024 alone, BEC attacks resulted in nearly $2.8 billion in reported losses, with attackers increasingly using sophisticated tactics to create more convincing and personalized fraudulent communications [1].

As bad actors continue to evolve their methods, traditional security measures are proving insufficient. The key to stopping BEC attacks lies in implementing robust email authentication protocols that prevent attackers from impersonating your organization in the first place.

Unlike traditional malware-based attacks, BEC schemes exploit human psychology rather than technical vulnerabilities. Attackers meticulously study organizational hierarchies, communication patterns, and business processes to craft convincing impersonation attempts that bypass conventional security controls.

• Contain no malicious attachments or URLs, so BEC emails appear legitimate and don't trigger traditional security filters
• Exploit trust relationships by impersonating executives, vendors, or trusted partners
• Target high-value transactions like wire transfers, invoice payments, and sensitive data requests
• Use social engineering rather than technical indicators of compromise, making them difficult to detect

The statistics paint a sobering picture of BEC's growing impact:

• BEC attacks cost an average of $4.89 million per incident, making them the second most expensive breach type, and accounted for 73% of all reported cyber incidents in 2024. [2]
• The average wire transfer request from a BEC attack was $24,586 as of early 2025
• Over the past three years, reported BEC losses reached almost $8.5 billion in the United States alone [3]

• BEC attacks grew by 30% year-over-year as of March 2025 [2]
• BEC attacks make up more than 50% of all social engineering incidents
• Even small organizations (under 1,000 employees) face a 70% weekly probability of experiencing at least one BEC attempt

• Wire transfer BEC attacks increased by 24% compared to the previous quarter [4]
• Attackers increasingly using AI tools to craft more sophisticated and convincing fraudulent communications [1]
• Vendor Email Compromise (VEC) attacks rose 66% in the first half of 2024 [5]

Understanding how BEC attacks work is crucial for building effective defenses. The FBI identifies five major types of BEC scams:

Attackers impersonate executives to request urgent wire transfers or sensitive information. These attacks exploit employees' psychological tendency to comply with authority figures, often using urgent language and time pressure to bypass normal verification procedures.

Cybercriminals gain access to legitimate employee email accounts and use them to request vendor payments or redirect funds to fraudulent accounts. This method is particularly dangerous because the emails come from genuine accounts, making them harder to detect.

Scammers pose as suppliers and submit fake invoices or request changes to payment details. These attacks often target accounts payable departments and exploit the routine nature of vendor payments.

Attackers impersonate lawyers or legal representatives, typically targeting lower-level employees who wouldn't question the request's validity. These attacks often coincide with significant corporate events like mergers or acquisitions.

These attacks target HR employees to obtain personal information about executives and employees, which can then be used for future attacks or sold on the dark web.

While BEC attacks exploit human vulnerabilities, the most effective prevention strategy starts with technical controls that prevent attackers from impersonating your organization in the first place. This is where Red Sift OnDMARC [6] becomes essential.

Red Sift OnDMARC is an award-winning [7], automated DMARC application that helps organizations stop exact domain impersonation and business email compromise attacks by:

• Easy path to DMARC enforcement: Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) is an essential email authentication method that negates outbound malicious emails sent on behalf of your organization when implemented at the highest policy of p-reject (enforcement). Red Sift OnDMARC helps customers to achieve enforcement in just 6-8 weeks.
• Preventing unauthorized domain use: OnDMARC prevents attackers from sending emails that appear to come from your domains, eliminating the foundation of most BEC attacks.
• Automated email authentication: The platform simplifies the deployment and management of DMARC, DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM), and Sender Policy Framework (SPF) protocols, ensuring only legitimate emails from your organization reach recipients.
• Real-time threat detection: OnDMARC continuously monitors email activity and provides visibility into potential spoofing attempts, allowing for rapid response to emerging threats, powered by enhanced LLM support through Red Sift Radar.
• Dynamic services management: Unlike traditional DNS-based approaches, OnDMARC's Dynamic Services allow you to manage all email authentication records from a single interface, reducing configuration errors and speeding up implementation.

• Investigate checker: OnDMARC's unique Investigate feature allows you to test configuration updates in real-time rather than waiting up to 24 hours for DMARC data, drastically reducing the time needed for DMARC implementation.
• DNS Guardian: This feature continuously monitors your DNS configuration to prevent SubdoMailing, dangling DNS, and CNAME takeovers that attackers could exploit to bypass DMARC.
• AI-powered insights: Red Sift Radar provides AI-driven analysis to identify misconfigurations and security gaps before attackers can exploit them.
• Comprehensive reporting: Detailed analytics help you understand your email ecosystem and identify potential vulnerabilities or suspicious activities.

While email authentication forms the foundation of BEC prevention, a complete strategy requires multiple layers of defense:

1. Deploy DMARC at p=reject. Even if you have a policy of p=quarantine bad actors can still cause harm.
2. Use Red Sift OnDMARC to achieve full enforcement in 6-8 weeks
3. Monitor DMARC reports to identify legitimate senders and potential threats

1. Implement MFA across all email accounts and critical systems
2. Use phishing-resistant MFA methods where possible
3. Regularly audit and update MFA configurations

1. Use AI-driven email filtering solutions that analyze behavioral patterns
2. Implement user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA) to detect unusual activities
3. Enable automated threat response capabilities

1. Require out-of-band verification for all payment changes and wire transfers
2. Implement dual-control approval processes for financial transactions above certain thresholds
3. Create clear escalation paths for suspicious requests

1. Create specific procedures for handling suspected BEC attacks
2. Establish communication protocols with banks and law enforcement
3. Practice incident response scenarios regularly

1. Conduct periodic reviews of email security configurations
2. Test verification procedures with simulated BEC attempts
3. Audit user access and permissions regularly

1. Conduct role-specific training for high-risk departments (Finance, HR, Executive Assistants)
2. Use real-world examples and simulated BEC attacks
3. Provide regular refresher training and updates on emerging threats

1. Encourage employees to report suspicious emails without fear of consequences
2. Recognize and reward good security behaviors
3. Create clear communication channels for security concerns

1. Ensure leadership understands and supports BEC prevention efforts
2. Establish clear policies and procedures for financial transactions
3. Model good security behaviors throughout the organization

Different industries face varying levels of BEC risk and may require tailored approaches:

• Face high targeting rates due to their access to financial systems and sensitive data
• Require enhanced verification procedures for all financial transactions
• Must comply with strict regulatory requirements for fraud prevention

• Targeted for both financial fraud and data theft
• Must protect patient information while maintaining operational efficiency
• Face unique challenges with diverse networks of facilities and third-party vendors

• Often targeted due to complex supplier networks and large-value transactions
• Need to secure supply chain communications
• Must balance security with operational efficiency

• High-value targets due to client confidentiality and financial transactions
• Require enhanced protection for client communications
• Must maintain attorney-client privilege while implementing security measures

To ensure your BEC prevention strategy is effective, monitor these key metrics:

• DMARC policy enforcement rate (target: 100% at p=reject)
• Email authentication pass rates for legitimate senders
• Time to detect and respond to spoofing attempts
• Reduction in unauthenticated email delivery

• Number of BEC attempts detected and blocked
• Employee reporting rates for suspicious emails
• Time to verify and process legitimate financial requests
• Incident response time for suspected BEC attacks

• Reduction in financial losses from email fraud
• Improvement in email deliverability rates
• Cost savings from automated security processes
• Customer trust and brand reputation metrics

As BEC attacks continue to evolve, organizations must stay ahead of emerging threats:

• Expect more sophisticated AI-generated content that's harder to detect
• Prepare for deepfake voice and video calls as part of BEC schemes
• Invest in AI-powered defense systems that can detect subtle anomalies

• BEC attacks are expanding beyond email to include SMS, voice calls, and collaboration platforms, deploying a range of social engineering methods
• Implement security measures across all communication channels
• Train employees to recognize threats across multiple platforms

• Attackers are increasingly targeting vendor and partner relationships
• Extend security measures to include third-party communications
• Implement vendor risk management programs

Protecting your organization from BEC attacks requires immediate action and ongoing vigilance. Here's how to get started:

• Run a free DMARC check using Red Sift's Investigate tool
• Identify gaps in your current email authentication setup, demonstrating where you need to take action
• Document your organization's email-sending sources

• Establish out-of-band verification for all wire transfers
• Create a callback procedure for unusual financial requests
• Brief key personnel on BEC attack methods (use this guide if that is helpful)

• Start with a 14-day free trial to assess your environment
• Get next steps guidance from the Red Sift team on how you can stay secure
• Begin the journey to DMARC enforcement

• Conduct BEC-specific training for high-risk departments
• Implement regular phishing simulations to ensure social engineering tactics are weakened on your organization and its employees
• Establish clear reporting procedures for suspicious emails

• Reach p=reject policy for all domains
• Implement BIMI to improve email deliverability and brand recognition
• Extend protection to all subdomains and partner communications

• Deploy advanced email security solutions
• Implement behavioral analytics and AI-powered threat detection
• Establish ongoing security monitoring and incident response capabilities

Business Email Compromise attacks represent one of the most significant cybersecurity threats facing organizations today. With losses reaching $2.8 billion in 2024 alone and attack sophistication continuing to grow, traditional security measures are no longer sufficient.

The key to effective BEC prevention lies in implementing a comprehensive strategy that combines robust technical controls, well-defined processes, and ongoing security awareness. At the foundation of this strategy is email authentication through DMARC, which prevents attackers from impersonating your organization in the first place.

Red Sift OnDMARC provides the automated, intelligent platform organizations need to achieve full DMARC enforcement quickly and reliably. With features like Dynamic Services, real-time threat detection, and AI-powered insights, OnDMARC helps organizations stop BEC attacks before they can cause damage.

Don't wait for an attack to happen. Take action today to protect your organization, your employees, and your customers from the growing threat of Business Email Compromise.

Start your free 14-day trial of Red Sift OnDMARC or run a free DMARC check to assess your current security posture.

[1] VIPRE Security. "Business Email Compromise 2025: What, Who and Why." https://vipre.com/blog/business-email-compromise-2025-what-who-and-why/

[2] Hoxhunt. "Business Email Compromise Statistics 2025 (+Prevention Guide)." https://hoxhunt.com/blog/business-email-compromise-statistics [3] NACHA. "FBI's IC3 Finds Almost $8.5 Billion Lost to Business Email Compromise in Last Three Years." https://www.nacha.org/news/fbis-ic3-finds-almost-85-billion-lost-business-email-compromise-last-three-years

[4] Trans Union. "Rising Incidents of BEC and Wire Fraud: Tales from the Front Lines." https://www.transunion.com/blog/bec-wire-fraud-incidents 

[5] Business Email Compromise Statistics https://hoxhunt.com/blog/business-email-compromise-statistics 

[6] Red Sift. "Protect against phishing and BEC attacks with Red Sift OnDMARC." https://redsift.com/pulse-platform/ondmarc

[7] Red Sift. "From Europe to Asia Pacific: OnDMARC earns global recognition in G2’s Fall Report." https://blog.redsift.com/awards/from-europe-to-asia-pacific-ondmarc-earns-global-recognition-in-g2s-fall-report/