The use of emails has always been increasing ever since its inception in the 1960s. Business communication, circulation of academic information, conveying personal information – almost everything is passed on between individuals or organizations via emails mainly for either or all of the following reasons:
Emails are faster.
Emails are reliable.
Emails ensure that the information reaches the end recipient and, if not, notifies the sender about it.
There is no scope of data loss with emails.
Emails are an excellent means of recording information chronologically.
On the surface, there is nothing to be concerned about in email communication. The accounts of both the sender and the receiver are self-operated and locked by passwords which only both of these parties know. However, with the advancement of useful technology occurs an equal (if not higher) rise in technology which brings vicious attackers and hackers into the picture.
What Is Phishing?
Phishing attacks are just like fishing in a river where a person tries to get hold of a fish by giving it a believable bait of a bread crumb or any similar bit of food. However, in phishing attacks, the fishes are the netizens, and the fishermen are the cyber attackers. Phishing attacks are most commonly circulated via email messages. In such attacks, an unexpected mail from a seemingly credible source asks the receiver to take specific immediate action (such as paying unpaid dues or claiming a reward) by clicking on an attached link or downloading a file. But these are impersonating emails taking the user to fake websites created by the attacker. And often, these install malware into the computers of users. These attacks also happen in other forms like through voice messages (Vishing), SMS frauds (Smishing), attacks targeting the big shots of an organization from whom the profits can be maximum (Whaling) or creating a replica of a website to win the trust of an unsuspecting user (Pharming).
What Is Malware?
Malware is another means used by attackers to install corrupt files and software into the computer systems of users without their permission or against their will. Often malware operates secretly and steals the private information of users without their knowledge. This information is then accessed by the attacker who either uses the data to blackmail the victim, launch a sextortion campaign, or sell the stolen details at a high price in the dark market. Its types include:
Ransomware – which locks the system of the user or encrypts files until the demanded ransom is paid.
Spyware – which launches spying software into the computer and steals data.
Scareware – which attempts to extract user information by instilling fear in them.
Adware – where malware gets downloaded via attacker-created fake advertisements.
What Is Email Security?
Email security is the process of shielding email accounts from the attacks of vicious hackers. It refers to the means employed by a user, an organization, or an information network to keep themselves secure from these phishing attempts and malware attacks.
How To Ensure Email Security?
Email security can never be a fool-proof plan as the attackers always manage to find some loophole even in the most sophisticated methods of protection. However, minimizing such attacks is the objective, and this can be achieved by adopting the following measures:
Setting strong passwords: Strong passwords with alphanumeric characters and symbols are highly recommended. It’s always more important to have secure passwords instead of easy to remember passwords.
Changing passwords from time to time: Using the same password for too long makes you more vulnerable to hacking attempts of attackers. Hence it is always advisable to change passwords from time to time. Also, having different passwords for different accounts is a smarter decision than otherwise.
Having a good antivirus installed: Antivirus software creates a layer of protection against all types of viruses and malware trying to attack your devices. It is a must to have an antivirus when you visit multiple websites on the Internet or install external devices and disks into your computer.
Having anti-spam filters: Anti-spam filters ensure that spam emails or messages do not show up in your mailbox, thus protecting your system from the malicious emails sent by attackers. It also saves you a lot of time and energy that gets wasted otherwise in opening those emails.
Using only updated software: Software developers update software from time to time to incorporate patches and other improvements to make the software secure and more efficient. Not updating one’s software to the latest version is sending an invitation to attackers to steal your files.
Being wise on the web: With everything said and done, the most frugal tip remaining is to be careful on the Internet. One must have a skeptical mind and halt before impulsively clicking on links and pop-ups. A click takes hardly a second, but often its after-effects cost millions of dollars!
Since one cannot do away with emails, one needs to find ways and means of doing away with the threats to email security. Protecting yourselves on the web is not easy but also not unachievable. Taking specific preventive measures goes a long way in keeping attackers and malware away.
An average of 306 billion emails get exchanged every day globally. Email is the primary medium for official, professional, academic, or any other form of formal communication and is accepted across the globe for its ease of access and use. However, emails are also the gateway to a majority of the cyberattacks taking place today. It all starts with an apparently legitimate email that, in reality, spies, steals information, downloads malware, hacks, or does other malicious activities on devices and associated systems.
Emails continue to remain the primary method of business communication in the digital era and have not lost their relevance decades after their inception. Today, they serve several other crucial purposes, marketing being one of them. Businesses (especially online ones) extensively use email marketing to keep in touch with their existing users and customers, target a new customer segment, etc. According to a recent survey, almost 65% of small businesses prefer email marketing over direct social media channels such as Instagram and Twitter. Hence, it is clear that businesses cannot afford to ignore email marketing in today’s times. However, to ensure success through this marketing channel, it is crucial to evaluate and review the efficacy of your email marketing strategy and process, and this is where an email audit can be of significant help.
With the advancements in technology, the sophistication of malicious actors has also improved by leaps and bounds. Organizations must counter such a circumstance by creating firewalls to maintain robust email security. These attacks are becoming more rampant and frequent. It is here that Artificial Intelligence has a significant role to play. With both Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) becoming more intelligent by the day, it is time that they are leveraged to their full potential against such attacks.
Email security is undoubtedly a priority for small businesses. However, while focusing on the email marketing strategy, they might overlook the basics. For 87% of B2B marketers, email serves as the prime channel of distribution. At the same time, organizations lost more than $1.8 billion due to ’Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks in 2020. It highlights the importance of setting up the email strategy and policy in the right way. Email marketing can become a powerful tool to attract new clients and engage the existing ones with the right approach. However, businesses must avoid some general mistakes while setting up professional email for their brand and using the same for marketing purposes, as discussed below.
Incidents of malware infection have been so regular that they are no more news to organizations worldwide. A single system infection is still within the control of the IT Security teams, but when it occurs at a significant scale, it can prove spine-breaking for the organization. Hence, there need to be contingency plans to counter it even before it comes to such a stage. Organizations must prepare a robust malware incident response plan and keep it ready for immediate implementation.
Today, we are in the digital age, where advanced technology makes everything easier. The advantage digitalization offers to organizations is especially remarkable. Organizations like banks that had to deal with millions of people and billions of transactions daily can now manage a large proportion of their customers online. As a result, online banking is gaining in popularity, thanks in part to the convenience it accords the customers.
The digital age has witnessed emails emerge as one of the most original and popular methods for online correspondence. Regardless of the size of an enterprise, email security continues to be a concern. In 2017, the number of email users across the globe was around 3.7 billion. This figure is likely to rise to 4.3 billion by 2022. Besides, malicious actors have close to 300 billion emails dispatched around cyberspace to target each day. Without a robust line of defense, an organization would always be in the shadow of an attack from adversaries. Phishing attempts, ransomware attacks, malicious attachments, and links continue to exploit the vulnerabilities.
With the rampaging virus and a restriction on movement, most staff have started to work from home. While this change has led to a successful fight against the virus, it has given IT Security teams a lot to work on. A widespread workforce and spread-out security protocols have led to systems and networks becoming increasingly vulnerable to cyber threats like spear-phishing, BEC, etc. Moreover, most enterprises moving to the cloud created an open field for both the victim and the perpetrator.
A tremendous evolution can be seen in the internet threat landscape in recent years. Cyber-attacks have become more sophisticated to easily infiltrate an email infrastructure and cripple any organization’s business operations in seconds. The latest Gartner report points out that attacks relating to business email compromise (BEC) will double in number every year (to over $5 billion) by 2023, resulting in substantial financial losses to organizations.
Emails are the primary means of commercial, professional, academic, diplomatic, and other official correspondence. An office employee receives around 200 emails daily, and not all of these emails come from harmless or relevant senders. Ninety percent of the email exchanged globally accounts for spam email. Spam email and its associated cyber risks are known to all – it is the root cause of malware, Trojan, and virus spread through email. Data breaches, compromise of confidential intelligence, and financial fraud are initiated by spam and phishing emails commonly appearing as an ’email security alert.’
In this digital age, communication and payment transactions are performed online. And email remains the number one communication channel due to its flexibility, reliability, and ease of use. As such, it is the preferred channel by malicious actors to attack an organization. The current pandemic has contributed much to the use of emails. As a result, cybercrime has evolved with innovative and sophisticated techniques to carry out Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks, which necessitates robust email security for any organization.
Email security threats are increasing day by the day as more organizations use the online route for business and communications. Avoiding email security threats is of paramount importance and forms an integral part of every cybersecurity strategy employed by organizations worldwide.
No standard business in today’s world operates without an email server. Most business communication takes place through emails. It also means that a lot of sensitive, personally identifiable information (PII) remains in such organizations’ mailboxes. But a single cyberattack or security vulnerability can invite trouble not just in the form of business disruption but also as a risk of identity theft, extortion, or financial loss for all stakeholders, including employees, partners, and the most crucial part of any business – the customers.
The sophistication of phishing and hacking has improved with advancements in technology. Under such circumstances, online business owners must adhere to cybersecurity compliance without fail. An online business is at a more significant risk than an offline one as online malicious attacks can disrupt its activities anytime. It will require all sorts of protection, such as email security, phishing protection, ransomware protection, and anti-phishing services to protect the organization. The below information on data breaches in 2020 is something to ponder about
With the hike in the number of data leaks, phishing and spear-phishing attacks, and other security breaches, most users wonder how they can prevent their personal and sensitive information from getting into the hands of adversaries. Organizations have started to pay attention to phishing protection, ransomware protection, and other cybersecurity measures to secure their information assets. However, one aspect that no enterprise should sideline when it comes to email security is the concept of email encryption.
Walking in the shoes of a Chief Information Officer (CIO) brings the colossal responsibility of securing the clients’ interests. With online adversaries escalating in the digital age, email security continues to be a priority for organizations. Given that 88% of global organizations encountered spear-phishing attempts in 2019, the adversaries look even more menacing a couple of years later. For a CIO, the Information Technology policies largely revolve around managing persistent threats coming through emails. In 2021, emails continue to be one of the favorite channels for malicious actors to inflict damage. Therefore, right from choosing the email hosting provider to incorporating the security protocols, one needs to be on the front foot.
Maintaining standards across the organization by managing things well is what everyone dreams of, but lacunae creep into the structure gradually. To overcome this issue, most organizations outsource their internal services to third-party vendors. Maintaining the business email infrastructure, including overall email management and email security, is such a service.
Inactive accounts may not seem to be much of a security concern, but these can prove to be the reason behind the downfall of the entire digital network of an organization, given the threat actor is competent enough to use a single inactive account to get access to organization’s insider information.
Email security has been crucial in helping businesses implement appropriate business policies and achieve set objectives. Without safeguarding the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data passed through email communication, an SME cannot think of business growth or further development.
Managed Service Providers or MSPs provide a host of services that help clients across a lot of domains. MSPs are a welcome addition to any team for various services, from protecting their network against malicious attacks to anti-phishing solutions. However, one of the areas that they have overlooked is the ubiquitous email. It is not only an important sector but a lucrative one too. MSPs must pay more attention to email security services if they want to claim that they provide complete assistance.
