Email Security Product Development

Technology Stack

Angular
Django
Python
PostgreSQL
AWS

The Client

With over 20 years of experience in the cybersecurity space, this US-based organization offers business-driven security solutions and cyber threat response strategies for companies. The client builds large-scale distributed systems that utilize machine learning and develop tools to protect sensitive company assets from cyber attacks.

The Challenge

This US-based company wanted a robust email security solution that offers critical defenses against multiple inbound/outbound email-borne threats such as:

Spams
Malware
Phishing
Spoofing

To achieve this goal, the client turned to Capital Numbers.

We’ve always meticulously executed strategies that have helped global brands and promising startups maximize their ROI.

With this cybersecurity project, too, we responded with a future-focused solution that can help the client keep all email security blind spots at bay. However, our biggest challenge was to conduct extensive R&D on various email authentication techniques such as DMARC, SPF, BIMI, and DKIM. We had to implement the best security protocols to prevent all email frauds and risks.

The Solution

We started this project by handpicking the best talents that can drive innovation and growth for the client.

Our primary focus was to develop a robust website that can handle and neutralize email threats before they materialize. We went ahead with the following tech stack to create the website:

We chose Angular for the frontend because it comes with all the conventional JavaScript functionalities that help with object manipulation. Moreover, Angular provides code consistency, reusability, and maintenance. Its modular structure helps break the application into reusable chunks, paving the way for quicker and efficient web development.

For the backend, we used Python. We chose this highly interactive language because it comes with extensive support libraries, numerous third-party modules, user-friendly data structures, and a vibrant community that makes developing complex applications a cakewalk.

Next, we used Django because of its Object Relational Mapping (ORM) layer that handles database access, routing, sessions, and security vulnerabilities. Plus, Django works on Python; it is backward compatible and has a REST framework that quickly builds ready-to-use APIs.

We used GitHub to help developers and programmers collaboratively work on code. To effectively build and deploy all code changes on GitHub, we used Travis CI.

Our experts used Docker containers because they help scale, modify, and update an application with new features, as per business requirements. Besides, Docker containers allow applications to quickly shuttle between different environments, be it a developer’s laptop or a public cloud environment, thereby allowing seamless portability.

To streamline container management, we used Kubernetes. We used this highly flexible solution to automatically handle storage, networking, logs, alerting, etc., of multiple containers. Kubernetes perfectly helps orchestrate containers and automate deployment, thereby cutting down on unnecessary resource costs.

For the database management system (DBMS), we used the highly secure PostgreSQL. Our team considered this extensible DBMS as the perfect choice for reliably storing, managing, and programming large volumes of assets and data.

To securely host the web application, we used Amazon Web Services (AWS). Not only does it provide enormous computing power, but it also offers elastic load balancing during peak times and auto-scaling, thereby improving app speed and agility, with 99.99% uptime and zero upfront costs.

Results

Our mature development approach, combined with best-in-breed technologies, helped us successfully create the email security product, without release delays or disruptions.

Capital Numbers’ well-tuned processes helped its team achieve an outstanding product within the defined timeline.

Our critical contributions included:

Two-factor Authentication

We incorporated a two-factor authentication wherein the users will have to undergo a dual-step authentication process to verify themselves before accessing their accounts. We added this process to prevent illegal access and system breaches.

User-friendly Overviews

To provide better authentication reporting, we incorporated real-time and user-friendly DMARC overviews designed to satisfy requirements like:

Prevent domain spoofing
Minimize false positives
Aggregate data to identify spammers
Assert DMARC policy quicker
Filter DMARC data based on specific date range
Group DMARC data per sender, per organization, per host

Detailed Forensics

We added forensic reports within the platform to help users quickly:

Identify emails that failed DMARC validation
Detect issues with a specific source or a sending IP
Track down malicious email streams without delay

Customized SPF, DKIM, and BIMI Records

Apart from DMARC, we also added the following email authentication standards to further help users improve their email deliverability:

SPF - This standard authenticates the IP addresses that can send emails for a specific domain.
DKIM - This uses an encryption key and a digital signature to verify that an email is authentic and not spoofed.
BIMI - This improves the sender’s credibility by displaying the sender’s logo in the box next to the email.

Users can create SPF, DKIM, and BIMI records to view all domain-specific statistics from a single, intuitive dashboard and keep away email frauds.

Unlimited Domains, Domain Groups

We set up an affordable pricing strategy wherein the platform users won’t be charged for malicious emails. We formulated this model, so that big email spoofing campaigns do not force users to pay extra or take up costly subscriptions. This can encourage users to add unlimited domains and domain groups, without worrying about added costs.

Daily/Weekly Updates

We included this section so that users can generate daily and weekly updates about their domain-specific DMARC alignment and turn them into beautiful, comprehensive email summaries, for free.

Accurate DNS Records

We also incorporated a detailed timeline to help users accurately monitor all DNS changes and errors over time and keep away from publishing invalid DNS records.

A Perfect Shield for Mailboxes

By creating this perfect shield for mailboxes, Capital Numbers not only exceeded client expectations but proved itself as a reliable software partner to global enterprises, regardless of their geographic location or operation domain.

Our skilled engineers excelled at creating this intelligent and affordable cybersecurity solution that takes email filtering to a whole new level.

The client highly approved of our multilayered email security platform, which stops over 99% of email threats even before they enter.