Account takeover (ATO) is unauthorized access to a legitimate mailbox, typically via phished credentials, password reuse, or OAuth consent phishing.
Checkers and validators#
Free lookup tools confirm that records resolve and are syntactically valid. Primary Deliverability runs SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and BIMI checks in one report and flags alignment problems.
Provider dashboards#
Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS are free and authoritative for their networks. Register every sending domain and IP.
Report analyzers and monitoring#
DMARC aggregate reports are XML and unreadable by hand; an analyzer turns them into a per-source view. Monitoring services alert on reputation drops, blocklistings, and record changes.
Sending platforms#
Your ESP or outreach tool should expose authentication setup, bounce and complaint handling, and per-mailbox limits. For AI-drafted sequences with reply detection, Mailflow in MailMaid Engine handles the sending side.
How to choose#
- Start with the free provider dashboards and a checker.
- Add a DMARC analyzer once you have more than two sending sources.
- Add monitoring when email is revenue-critical.
- Choose sending platforms by their deliverability controls, not template libraries.
Frequently asked questions#
What are signs of a compromised email account?
Unknown sent items, new forwarding rules, missing mail, login alerts from unfamiliar locations, and contacts reporting odd messages.