In a press release it was announced that Proofpoint acquires Return Path’s email fraud protection business unit.
Return Path has been in the email industry for a long time, focusing mostly on offering authentication, certification and security services to customers. Return Path’s Email Fraud Protection (EFP) business unit is a more recent venture that offers business email compromise (BEC) solutions. You can check out more details on EFP on their Return Path page here.
Fraudulent messages (especially via email, but more recently via social media) have been becoming more prevalent in recent years. It has become a sizable chunk of the total spam email volume compared to ‘regular’ spam emails. It’s difficult for many people to identify a scam or phishing email: only a small percentage according to research from last year. With that being the case, technology can help people fight email fraud – and this is where Return Path has their EFP offering.
Return Path’s Email Fraud Protection business offers detection, blocking and responding to email threats in real-time, according to their website. The fact that Proofpoint acquires Return Path’s Email Fraud Protection business unit has to do with offering a more complete solution to its customers.
From the press release:
“BEC is one of the greatest cyber threats facing enterprises today. Fighting it requires an entirely new approach. Return Path’s Email Fraud Protection solution has paved the way by offering unparalleled insight into phishing attacks targeting the enterprise and their customers,” said Matt Blumberg, co-founder and CEO, Return Path. “With our proprietary email threat data and technical expertise at its disposal, Proofpoint will now be fully equipped to offer the best end-to-end spear phishing solution on the market today. We are thrilled to partner with Proofpoint going forward and believe that the combined solution will be stronger for our Email Fraud Protection customers as well as a great home for the employees in our EFP division.”
The press release notes that Proofpoint wants to offer an integrated solution to its customers with this acquision. Return Path EFP offers DMARC authentication, sender analysis and more. The intention is to integrate Return Path Email Fraud Protection into Proofpoint’s existing suite of email protection solutions.
You can read the full article on the acquisition at Proofpoint’s website here.
Read a recent report on inbox placement rates by Return Path.
