Use Advanced Threat Protection for Enhanced Security

Ensure the highest level of security for your documents with Advanced Threat Protection. Try an enterprise account to access ATP.

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What it Means to Use Advanced Threat Protection for Better Security

Using advanced threat protection for better security means applying a layered set of defenses to detect, block, and remediate targeted attacks, malware, phishing, and suspicious activity across networks, endpoints, and cloud services. For electronic signature workflows, this approach protects signing infrastructure, document storage, and user credentials while preserving auditability and compliance. Advanced controls include threat intelligence, sandboxing, content and attachment scanning, email filtering, and integration with security information and event management systems to reduce exposure and support incident response across the eSignature lifecycle.

Why Adding Advanced Threat Protection Improves Security

Implementing advanced threat protection reduces the likelihood of account compromise, prevents malicious documents from circulating, and strengthens compliance posture for sensitive electronic signatures and records.

Why Adding Advanced Threat Protection Improves Security

Common Risks When Advanced Protections Are Missing

  • Unscanned attachments can carry malware that compromises signing devices or back-end servers, leading to data exposure and downtime.
  • Credential theft via phishing enables unauthorized access to signature workflows and stored documents, increasing fraud risk and compliance gaps.
  • Poorly configured email filtering permits spoofed requests that trick signers into approving fraudulent transactions or revealing sensitive data.
  • Lack of centralized telemetry delays detection and remediation, making it harder to trace breaches and to meet legal audit requirements.

Typical Roles and Their Security Needs

IT Security Lead

IT security leads need visibility into eSignature events, integration with SIEM, and the ability to apply threat detection rules. They typically configure email and content scanning, manage identity providers, and run periodic reviews of audit logs to detect anomalous signing activity and to support incident investigations.

Compliance Officer

Compliance officers require retention policies, tamper-evident audit trails, and controls that support ESIGN and UETA proof of intent. They review configurations, approve data-handling procedures, and ensure vendor capabilities meet regulatory requirements for protected data handling and reporting.

Who Benefits from Using Advanced Threat Protection

Organizations that handle regulated data or high volumes of transactional documents benefit most from integrated threat protections applied to eSignature systems.

  • Healthcare providers processing PHI with eSignatures to meet HIPAA administrative safeguards and reduce breach risk.
  • Educational institutions managing FERPA-protected records and consent forms across staff and parents.
  • Enterprises using signature workflows for contracts and HR records that require centralized security monitoring.

Consistent protections across endpoints, cloud storage, and email reduce exposure and simplify incident response for teams of varied size.

Core Features That Support Advanced Threat Protection

These features combine to reduce attack surface and help maintain secure, compliant electronic signature processes for organizations.

Threat Intelligence

Feeds known indicators of compromise into filtering and blocking rules to stop malicious actors and payloads from reaching signers and storage.

Content Scanning

Automatically inspects uploaded documents and attachments for malware, unsafe macros, or suspicious content before documents enter the signing workflow.

Email Authentication

DMARC, DKIM, and SPF validation reduce impersonation attacks and help ensure senders are legitimate before recipients interact with signature requests.

Role-Based Permissions

Granular permissions control who can send, approve, or access signed documents, limiting exposure and enabling least-privilege controls.

SIEM / Log Forwarding

Streaming signing events to security tools enables correlation with other alerts and accelerates investigations and response.

Incident Response Hooks

APIs and webhooks enable automated actions, such as revoking access or quarantining documents when suspicious activity is detected.

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Integrations and Tools That Complement Threat Protection

Linking eSignature platforms with identity, storage, and security services strengthens protections without disrupting signing workflows.

Google Workspace

Integrating with Google Workspace allows document scanning and controlled sharing, applying organization-level DLP and attachment protections before files are sent for signature, while preserving version history and access controls for auditability.

CRM Systems

Connecting CRM platforms such as Salesforce centralizes recipient identity and document context, enabling consistent access policies and reducing manual data entry that can introduce errors in signing transactions.

Dropbox/Storage

Cloud storage integration ensures documents inherit storage provider protections and simplifies scanning of archived agreements, while enabling centralized retention and search for compliance reviews.

Security Platforms

SIEM and EDR integrations forward events and alerts from the eSignature platform to security operations, enabling rapid investigation and correlation with broader organizational telemetry.

How Advanced Threat Protection Operates with eSignatures

Advanced protection works across email, document storage, endpoints, and signature platforms to detect threats before they reach signers or archives.

  • Pre-Send Scanning: Analyze attachments and links before delivery
  • Realtime Email Filtering: Block spoofed senders and phishing attempts
  • Runtime Analysis: Sandbox suspicious files and behaviors
  • Central Monitoring: Aggregate events for correlation and alerts
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Quick Setup: Applying Advanced Protections to Signature Workflows

Follow these essential steps to layer threat protection into your eSignature process while maintaining usability.

  • 01
    Assess Risk: Inventory sensitive documents and users
  • 02
    Enable SSO: Connect identity provider for access control
  • 03
    Activate Scanning: Turn on malware and content checks
  • 04
    Log Events: Forward events to SIEM or logs

Audit Trail and Incident Response Steps

Maintain clear, tamper-evident records and prepare operational steps for responding to security events involving signed documents.

01

Capture Events:

Log sign, access, and admin actions
02

Timestamp Records:

Record precise, timezone-aware timestamps
03

Preserve Metadata:

Include IP, device, and auth factors
04

Exportable Reports:

Support PDF or CSV exports
05

Forensic Access:

Provide read-only investigator views
06

Retain Evidence:

Follow legal retention schedules
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Why choose airSlate SignNow

  • Free 7-day trial. Choose the plan you need and try it risk-free.
  • Honest pricing for full-featured plans. airSlate SignNow offers subscription plans with no overages or hidden fees at renewal.
  • Enterprise-grade security. airSlate SignNow helps you comply with global security standards.
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Recommended Workflow Settings to Enable Protections

Configure these workflow-level settings to balance threat detection with signer experience while preserving compliance evidence.

Setting Name Configuration
Reminder Frequency 48 hours
Attachment Scanning Enabled
Single Sign-On Enforcement Required
Event Forwarding Destination SIEM
Retention Policy 7 years

Platform and Device Requirements for Secure Operations

Ensure supported browsers, up-to-date operating systems, and a managed identity provider are in place before applying advanced protections.

  • Supported Browsers: Modern Chromium or Safari
  • Mobile Support: iOS and Android latest
  • Identity Provider: SAML or OIDC enabled

Regularly update client applications and verify device compliance to maintain scanning efficacy and to prevent gaps that threat actors can exploit across the signing lifecycle.

Key Security Controls to Implement

Malware Scanning: Scans attachments and templates
Phishing Protection: Email link and sender analysis
Sandboxing: Detonates suspicious files safely
SAML / SSO: Centralized identity control
Role-Based Access: Limits document permissions
SIEM Integration: Central event correlation

Industry Examples: How Advanced Protection Strengthens Signatures

These case examples show how layered threat protections secure signature workflows in regulated environments and reduce operational risk.

Healthcare Consent Forms

A regional clinic adopted automated attachment scanning and email filtering to protect signed consent forms

  • scanning removed malicious macros before files entered patient records
  • clinicians retained uninterrupted workflows while risk fell

Resulting in fewer incidents and clearer compliance evidence for HIPAA audits

University Enrollment Documents

A university integrated threat intelligence and SSO to secure admissions signatures across campus

  • single sign-on reduced password reuse and phishing exposure
  • centralized logging aided FERPA compliance and student privacy reviews

Leading to faster investigations and reduced risk of unauthorized record access

Best Practices for Secure and Accurate Advanced Threat Protection

Apply consistent controls, monitor telemetry, and preserve legal evidence while configuring protections to avoid friction for legitimate signers.

Enforce Strong Identity Controls and MFA
Require strong authentication, preferably multi-factor, for all users accessing signature capabilities. Tie authentication to a single identity provider to simplify management and to reduce the chance of credential-based breaches while maintaining a clear audit trail linking actions to verified identities.
Scan and Quarantine Suspicious Attachments
Implement automated scanning of templates and uploaded files to detect malware or embedded threats. Quarantine or sanitize suspect content before it becomes part of a signed record to protect signers and downstream systems from compromise.
Maintain Tamper-Evident Audit Trails
Ensure every signing event, access, and administrative change is logged immutably. Audit data should include timestamps, IP addresses, and authentication factors to support legal validity under ESIGN and to assist in incident investigations.
Integrate with Enterprise Security Tools
Forward logs to SIEM, set up alerts for anomalous signing patterns, and synchronize access policies with SSO and directory services to keep signature systems aligned with broader enterprise security operations.

FAQs About Using Advanced Threat Protection for Better Security

Answers to common operational and compliance questions when applying threat protections to eSignature workflows.

Feature Availability: Advanced Protection Across eSignature Vendors

Quick comparison of common advanced protection capabilities among leading eSignature providers for U.S. deployments.

Criteria signNow (Recommended) DocuSign Adobe Sign
Malware Attachment Scanning Limited
SAML Single Sign-On
HIPAA Support
SIEM Integration
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Document Retention and Review Schedule Recommendations

Establish clear retention and review timelines to align advanced protections with legal and operational requirements.

Annual Security Review:

Review controls and integrations yearly

Quarterly Log Audit:

Inspect SIEM alerts quarterly

Retention Policy Review:

Adjust retention every two years

Incident Response Drill:

Run tabletop exercises annually

BAA Status Check:

Confirm vendor BAAs yearly

Potential Consequences Without Advanced Protections

Data Exposure: Breach of records
Regulatory Fines: HIPAA or FERPA violations
Fraud Loss: Unauthorized contracts
Operational Downtime: Service disruptions
Reputation Damage: Customer trust declines
Litigation Risk: Legal disputes increase

Pricing and Enterprise Features Comparison

Typical plan comparisons and feature inclusions for businesses evaluating advanced protection capabilities and compliance features across providers.

Plan / Feature signNow (Recommended) DocuSign Adobe Sign Dropbox Sign PandaDoc
Starting Monthly Price From $8 per user From $10 per user From $9.99 per user From $12 per user From $19 per user
Free Trial Available Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
API Access Included Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
HIPAA / BAA Option Available Available Available Available Available
Enterprise SSO & Controls Included Included Included Included Included

How airSlate SignNow protects your data from external threats and malware

airSlate SignNow uses Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) to prevent malicious attacks and phishing attempts, ensuring the highest level of safety for your documents and signing links.

What is Advanced Threat Protection?

airSlate SignNow scans your signing links and any links inside your documents to ensure there is no malware attached. The following solutions are employed to ensure the safety of your data:

Latent threat

The latent threat protection continuously checks the links within your documents to make sure they are secure at all times. Since one-time scanning may not be enough to guarantee complete safety, airSlate SignNow monitors your links on a regular basis.

Spoofing actor

airSlate SignNow protects users from following links that are received via fake eSignature invites. Such links can potentially bear ransomware or malware, putting users and their personal information at risk.

Please note that airSlate SignNow’s ATP feature is available to enterprise accounts only.

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