Blog article

  • 8 minutes read
Author Profile Picture
  • Kiara Saloojee
  • DMARC Enthusiast

Is it safe to open spam emails? What enterprises should worry about

Open Email Envelope In A Digital Environment

Is it safe to open spam emails?

  • Opening spam is usually lower risk than interacting with it.
  • For enterprises, inbound phishing can lead to outbound abuse that impacts customers and partners.
  • Links, attachments, and credential prompts are common escalation points.
  • Outbound containment matters: Review inbox rules, forwarding, and unusual sending.
  • SPF, DKIM, and DMARC reduce spoofing, protect sender reputation, and add visibility through reporting

Opening a spam email isn’t what causes an incident. For enterprises, the real risk starts when a message leads to a click, a completed credential prompt, or a malicious attachment download, turning an inbound mistake into an outbound problem.

Opening an email and interacting with it aren’t the same thing:

  • Opening an email is often lower risk
  • Interacting with it (clicking a link, entering credentials, opening an attachment, or approving access) is where things usually escalate

For enterprise teams, the biggest impact is often outbound. A compromised identity can be used to send fraudulent emails that look legitimate, damage trust, and hurt deliverability.

Run a free Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) scan to see if your domains are exposed to spoofing.

Is it safe to open spam emails?

Simply opening a spam email isn’t the highest-risk action. Most email-based cyberattacks still depend on getting a person to take the next step, such as clicking a link or providing credentials.

Risk rises when the message tries to drive interaction, especially when it tries to send the user to a browser or encourages them to open a file.

Common “risk escalators” include:

  • Attachments
  • Links to external websites
  • Requests to approve access or permissions

If your environment allows images, tracking is also possible. It usually doesn’t compromise the device by itself, but it can confirm the address is active and increase future targeting.

Why inbound spam is an outbound problem for enterprises

Spam and phishing aren’t just inbox clutter. In an enterprise environment, a successful phishing attack can become an outbound incident that impacts customers.

A common chain looks like this:

  1. A user opens a message and clicks a link
  2. The attacker captures credentials, often through a fake login
  3. A mailbox or cloud account is taken over
  4. The attacker sends outbound emails that appear legitimate to customers, vendors, or internal teams

What happens after compromise: How attackers abuse outbound email

After a compromise, cybercriminals tend to focus on outbound email because it‘s fast, credible, and scalable.

When emails are sent from a legitimate, compromised mailbox, it can be difficult for recipients to spot them. They often include authentic signatures, real tone, and familiar context. They may also pass many basic checks because they’re originating from your environment.

When customers get targeted with emails that appear to come from your domains, your team has to manage the impact. Run a free DMARC scan to check your vulnerability.

Protective Shield In A Digital Environment

Enterprise response that protects outbound channels

Teams often ask, “If someone accidentally opened a phishing email, what should we do?” The best response is a clear set of steps that includes outbound containment, not just endpoint cleanup.

Incident response steps

If they only opened an email:

  1. Report the message to your security team
  2. Preserve the email for analysis if needed

If they clicked:

  1. Report immediately and capture the link or attachment details
  2. Investigate the endpoint based on what happened next, such as downloads or prompts

If they entered credentials or approved access:

  1. Reset credentials and revoke active sessions
  2. Review sign-in logs for anomalies

Outbound containment steps

Outbound containment reduces the chance of fraudulent emails reaching customers after a suspected compromise. Use these checks to contain outbound activity quickly:

  • Scan for new inbox rules, forwarding, or delegates
  • Look for unusual volume, recipients, or sending patterns

These steps help you stop a single inbound click or download from becoming an outbound incident.

How SPF, DKIM, and DMARC protect outbound trust

Email authentication is one of the few controls that directly reduces domain impersonation and supports deliverability over time.

  • Sender Policy Framework (SPF) allows organizations to specify which systems are authorized to use their domain.
  • DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) uses cryptographic signatures to help recipients verify message integrity.
  • DMARC builds on SPF and DKIM by telling receivers what to do when authentication fails and generating reports so you can see who’s using your domains.

Most teams roll out DMARC in stages, starting with monitoring (p=none), then moving to enforcement with p=quarantine and p=reject.

Why DMARC matters:

  • It reduces customer-facing spoofing from your domains, which protects brand trust
  • It supports healthier deliverability by protecting your sender reputation
  • It gives ongoing visibility into who’s attempting to send as you via DMARC reports

Enterprise DMARC is an outbound program, not a one-time DNS change

In enterprise environments, the biggest DMARC challenge isn’t creating a record – it’s governing a complex sender ecosystem.

Most enterprises have many legitimate senders: Marketing platforms, ticketing systems, and HR tools. Subdomains, acquisitions, and “temporary” senders also add risk.

To keep it sustainable, you need:

  • Clear ownership across security and operations teams
  • Change control for configuring new senders
  • Ongoing monitoring so sending sources don’t appear unnoticed

How Sendmarc helps enterprises secure outbound email at scale

Sendmarc helps enterprises implement and manage DMARC at scale, so you can:

  • Discover sending services across domains and subdomains using DMARC reporting
  • Resolve SPF and DKIM alignment issues without disrupting critical email
  • Move to enforcement safely, progressing from p=none to p=quarantine and p=reject
  • Monitor continuously and get alerts when unexpected sending sources appear
  • Share executive-ready reporting that shows coverage, risk reduction, and progress

Learn how Sendmarc helps you manage DMARC at scale, protect your domains from spoofing, and reduce outbound risk.

Book a demo