Top 20 security mistakes by email senders

Jul 4, 2025

Email security is no longer optional. With the rise of phishing, identity theft, and configuration flaws, securing your email delivery has become a cornerstone of deliverability. For businesses, every mistake can cost dearly in reputation, conversions, and revenue.

Summary

Why email security is a strategic issue

A bad email DNS setup, missing SPF or DKIM protocols, and your whole ecosystem suffers. Business email hacking is real, and every vulnerability can become a marketing email security breach.

Targeting, deliverability, and trust: security isn't just about blocking spam anymore — it's key to performance.

Top 20 most common security mistakes

  • Missing SPF record
  • Misconfigured DKIM key
  • DMARC missing or set to "none"
  • Undetected technical email marketing errors
  • SMTP server without secure authentication
  • Lack of DNS monitoring
  • Using unsecured generic sender addresses
  • Unsecured email configuration for subdomains
  • Shared infrastructure with blacklisted IPs
  • Missing SMTP "failover" mechanism
  • Improper segmentation of transactional vs marketing flows
  • Poor bounce management
  • Degraded sender reputation
  • Email spoofing not detected
  • No active TLS encryption
  • Missing DKIM key rotation policy
  • Untested anti-spam filters
  • Combined SPF DKIM DMARC errors
  • Poor identifier alignment in headers
  • Non-compliance with GDPR or consent policies

Mistakes: fix common GDPR and email-related errors too

How to fix them and secure your campaigns

For each identified mistake, there’s a targeted action to boost security and deliverability: strict DNS configuration, continuous monitoring, best practices and specialized tools.

Recap table of mistakes and solutions

MistakeImpactRecommended Solution
Missing SPFEmail blocking by ISPsDeclare authorized IPs via an SPF record
Unaligned DKIMLoss of trust in your sendsGenerate and properly configure the DKIM key
DMARC set to "none"No action taken against fraudulent emailsSwitch to "quarantine" or "reject" mode
No TLSEmails can be interceptedEnable TLS encryption on the SMTP server
Shared IP infrastructureContamination from other sendersSwitch to a dedicated or segmented IP


No time to read it all? Here’s the recap

In short: Top 20 email sender security mistakes

  • Missing SPF, DKIM or DMARC authentication is still one of the most common mistakes.
  • Poor DNS configuration can expose your campaigns to spoofing or rejection.
  • Email address spoofing weakens deliverability and sender reputation.
  • Weak or reused passwords make professional email hacking easier.
  • Ignoring DMARC reports prevents real-time vulnerability detection.


How can you avoid the main security mistakes when sending professional emails?

By properly configuring SPF, DKIM and DMARC, monitoring your sends, and avoiding common traps like broken links or unauthenticated domains, you’ll secure your emails and protect your sender reputation.

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