Detect External Mail Forwarding for Government & Public Sector
How government & public sector organizations should implement EXT-07 for Microsoft 365 security and compliance.
For government & public sector companies using Microsoft 365, detect external mail forwarding is a security priority. This guide explains how EXT-07 helps government & public sector organizations protect their identity infrastructure while meeting industry-specific compliance mandates.
Why Government & Public Sector Organizations Need This Control
Government & Public Sector organizations face specific regulatory requirements including fedramp, nist-800-53, cis. The EXT-07 control helps address these requirements by:
- Mailbox forwarding rules to external addresses are identified
- Inbox rules forwarding to external domains are flagged
- No unexpected external forwarding rules exist
Attackers commonly set up mail forwarding rules after compromising accounts. These rules silently copy all emails to external addresses, enabling ongoing data theft even after the initial compromise is remediated.
Industry-Specific Considerations
When implementing EXT-07 in a government & public sector environment, consider:
- **Regulatory requirements**: fedramp, nist-800-53, cis may mandate specific configurations
- **Risk tolerance**: Government & Public Sector organizations typically have moderate to low risk tolerance
- **Audit frequency**: Plan for regular compliance reviews
- **Documentation**: Maintain detailed records for regulatory inspections
How to Configure
EXT-07 requires the following configuration:
- Mailbox forwarding rules to external addresses are identified
- Inbox rules forwarding to external domains are flagged
- No unexpected external forwarding rules exist
Requires Exchange admin access or Microsoft Graph Reports API
Follow the steps above in your Microsoft Entra admin center to enable this control.
Government Compliance Requirements
Government organizations must comply with these frameworks, all of which address detect external mail forwarding:
Why This Control Matters for Government
Attackers commonly set up mail forwarding rules after compromising accounts. These rules silently copy all emails to external addresses, enabling ongoing data theft even after the initial compromise is remediated.
Common threats in government & public sector:
- • Nation-state espionage campaigns
- • Ransomware targeting critical services
- • Insider threats from privileged users
For government & public sector organizations, EXT-07 is a key component of a compliant Microsoft 365 security posture. TrueConfig helps you implement and maintain this control while meeting industry-specific requirements.
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