Beyond the Spam Filter: Building Resilient Email Security for 2026 and Beyond

Picture this: amid routine emails, a phishing message—familiar, friendly, even trusted—slips through. It’s powered by a kit that costs less than lunch.

The question isn’t if attackers will try. It’s whether your business is ready to keep moving when they do.

Why Email Security Still Matters

Email is more than a communication tool – it’s often the lifeline of modern business. And that makes it a prime target. According to Verizon’s 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report,¹ phishing played a role in 16% of all breaches. When credential theft and malware delivered through phishing are included, that number climbs even higher.

Attackers know email is where business critical communication happens. They exploit human trust and technical gaps to infiltrate networks, steal credentials, and disrupt operations. Basic spam filtering is no longer enough. In 2026, the priority is not just blocking threats or keeping the e-mail flow uninterrupted. It is ensuring business continuity and security through any attack or outage.

Did you know that phishing kits–pre-made software bundles—are sold for less than $25² , giving even low-skilled attackers the ability to steal sensitive data and launch malware attacks.
The good news is that modern email security solutions help you stay ahead.

Understanding Today’s Email Risks

Threats aren’t ever going away, they’re constantly evolving. That’s why N‑able has introduced enhancements like these on top of an already solid foundation, to help you stay ahead of attackers while maintaining trust and continuity.

Key threats businesses should watch for include:

• Phishing Variants: Spear phishing, whaling, clone phishing
• Impersonation & Deception: Business Email Compromise (BEC), CEO fraud, reply-chain attacks
• Malware Delivery: Malicious attachments, macro-based malware, HTML phishing
• Spoofing & Forgery: Display name spoofing, domain impersonation
• Credential Theft: OAuth consent phishing, account takeover
• Emerging Threats: QR code phishing (quishing), image-based phishing

What Does Modern Email Security Look Like?

Modern email security relies on integrated layers–inbound and outbound protection, archiving, and continuity—working together with machine learning and global threat intelligence. This unified approach underpins the resilience framework of Mail Assure and SpamExperts.

A modern approach includes layers reinforced by 2025 enhancements focused on authentication, usability, and reporting:

• Inbound Filtering: Stops threats before they reach your inbox with real-time threat detection and authentication checks like SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance).
• Outbound Filtering: Protects your reputation by detecting compromised accounts and ensuring delivery.
• Email Archiving: Simplifies compliance and speeds recovery with encrypted storage and indexed search.
• Continuity Features: Keeps email flowing during outages even if the primary server is offline.

Both N‑able solutions deliver these capabilities with flexible deployment options and robust APIs.

The Difference with N‑able’s Mail Solutions

• True Continuity for uninterrupted operations
• Machine Learning for smarter threat detection
• Global Threat Intelligence for proactive protection

Our goal isn’t just to secure email. It’s to keep your business running smoothly when the e-mail layer is challenged.

Enhancements N‑able Introduced In 2025 Supporting Mail Security

These updates go beyond incremental improvements:

• Flexible DMARC Controls: Ensure authentication with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, but allow temporary DMARC bypass at the domain or IP level for troubleshooting, keeping security and operations balanced.
• Proactive Spear Phishing Protection: Implement a CEO Fraud Blocking Rule to automatically block impersonation attempts and prevent business email compromise.
• Improved Archive Export: Easily export archived messages, resend notifications, and track progress via a simplified interface for faster compliance and recovery.
• Scheduled Dashboard Reports (Mail Assure): Automate regular performance reports for greater insight, transparency, and value demonstration.
• Branded DNS Records: Customize DNS records for consistent branding and a unified professional appearance.
• DANE Support: Use DANE to reinforce inbound security by verifying secure connections through DNS, adding trust to your email environment.

Looking Ahead: What Else to Expect in 2026 and Beyond

As attackers increasingly exploit human trust—and AI accelerates both attack and defense—adaptive security becomes just as critical as technical controls.

Key trends shaping the future:

• Cloud Adoption: Hybrid work and SaaS reliance
• AI Arms Race: Attackers and defenders both leveraging AI
• Compliance Checks: Regulations increasingly require demonstrable continuity and security strategies

Future Investment Driving Resilience in 2026 alongside Adlumin

N‑able is investing in enhancements that extend protection beyond the inbox. In 2026, we will introduce Adlumin integration, enabling teams to:

• Correlate email-based indicators of compromise with broader telemetry
• Automate incident response workflows
• Strengthen compliance reporting

Proven Results You Can Trust

Virus Bulletin testing in 2025 confirmed VBSpam+ certification for both products, with exceptional accuracy and zero false positives.

Read the full Virus Bulletin report

Two Paths to Strong Business Resilience

Both use the same filtering engine, threat intelligence, and VBSpam+ certified performance. The choice depends on your business model and integration needs.

Ready to Go Beyond the Spam Filter?
E-mail isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Let’s make sure it stays secure.

Download the Beyond the Spam Filter eBook
Learn more about Mail Assure and SpamExperts

¹ https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/?msockid=214cdc89109a6af71e58ca0411596b6f
² https://www.techradar.com/pro/usd25-software-kits-to-steal-your-personal-details-are-freely-on-sale-on-dark-web-heres-how-to-remain-safe