With over 90% of attacks on organizations starting with email, it’s no wonder that email security is a top concern for businesses. Email-borne threats like ransomware, phishing, and business email compromise are becoming more common and more sophisticated, and they can have devastating consequences for businesses of all sizes. That’s why it’s so important to have a robust email security solution in place to protect your organization from these threats.
What makes email such an attractive target for attackers?
Here are some of the reasons why email is such a popular target for attackers:
- Email is ubiquitous. Just about everyone has an email address, which makes it the perfect platform for attackers to reach a large number of people with their malicious messages.
- Email is easy to spoof. It’s relatively easy for attackers to impersonate someone else by sending emails that appear to come from a legitimate sender. This can be done by forging the sender’s email address or by using a technique called domain spoofing, where the attacker uses a similar domain name to trick recipients into thinking the email is coming from a trusted source.
- Email is often unsecured. Email messages are often sent over unencrypted connections, which means they can be intercepted and read by anyone who is monitoring the network traffic. Even when email is sent over an encrypted connection, it can be decrypted by anyone who has the encryption key.
- Email attachments can be malicious. Email attachments are often used to deliver malware to a victim’s machine. This can happen when a user opens an attachment that has been infected with malware or when an attacker exploits a vulnerability in an email client to execute code on the user’s machine without their knowledge.
What are some of the most common email-borne threats?
Now that we know what makes email such an attractive target for attackers, let’s take a look at some of the most common email-borne threats.
Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts your data and demands a ransom to decrypt it. This can be a devastating attack for businesses, as it can lead to the loss of important data or the inability to access critical systems.
Phishing is a type of fraud where attackers send emails purporting to be from a trusted source in an attempt to trick victims into clicking on malicious links or attachments. This can often result in the victim’s personal or financial information being stolen.
Business email compromise is a type of fraud where attackers impersonate a senior executive or other authority figure within an organization in order to trick employees into sending them sensitive information or transferring money to them. This type of attack can have a devastating financial impact on businesses.
How can you protect your organization from email-borne threats?
There are a number of steps you can take to protect your organization from email-borne threats, including:
- Educating employees about email security: This includes teaching them how to spot phishing emails and what to do if they receive one.
- Implementing a robust spam filter: This will help to catch and block malicious emails before they reach your inbox.
- Deploying multi-factor authentication: This adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to confirm their identity with a second factor, such as a code sent to their mobile phone.
- Restricting access to sensitive data: This helps to prevent unauthorized users from accessing sensitive data if they manage to compromise an email account.
- Investing in a comprehensive email security solution: This can provide your organization with advanced features like malware protection, phishing detection, and data loss prevention.
Email security is critical for businesses of all sizes. By taking steps to protect your organization from email-borne threats, you can help to safeguard your business against these increasingly sophisticated attacks.