Even with the rising sophistication of cyber-attacks, email remains the primary way cyber criminals attack businesses of all sizes. It is, therefore, essential for all businesses to take the necessary measures to enhance their email security. Here are some of the top...

Even with the rising sophistication of cyber-attacks, email remains the primary way cyber criminals attack businesses of all sizes. It is, therefore, essential for all businesses to take the necessary measures to enhance their email security. Here are some of the top ways to boost your business’s email security.

Train Your Employees on Email Security Measures

Employee education is a great first line of defense. All your employees should be trained in common cyber threats, how to protect themselves, and what steps to take in the event of a security breach or attack.

Educate about Common Cyber Threats

In your training, it’s crucial that businesses educate their employees about common cyber threats and how to spot them.

Phishing attacks are the most common type of email attack. These attacks involve cybercriminals trying to trick email users into giving up personal information, clicking on malicious links, or making fraudulent payments. Phishing emails often appear to be from legitimate sources, such as banks or credit card companies.

Outline Protective Measures

While careless employees can easily be an open door to cyber attacks, a diligent team is a great first line of defense.

Once a team is educated on spotting an attack, business owners should outline protective measures to defuse potential threats.

One great one to include is never to open anything from unknown senders.

Implement Proper Response Procedures

In the unfortunate event that a business falls victim to an attack, a swift response can minimize damages.

Creating a company-wide response procedure guide can help address attacks immediately. These guides could include reporting procedures, security protocols, crisis response measures, and more.

Use an Email Service Provider

Email service providers (ESPs) can help you send emails conveniently and successfully. Aside from the convenience, there are security benefits to using an ESP.

One security benefit of an ESP is that you can encrypt emails, ensuring they are only received by the person the message was intended for. Encryption also gives email senders increased control in that they can revoke access to messages when they’re sent to the wrong person. This will help your organization prevent common email-borne cyber-attacks.

Enable Multi-Factor Authentication

Relying on passwords, no matter how strong, is not enough in today’s cyber threat landscape. This is where multi-factor authentication comes in.

Multi-factor authentication is when a unique code is sent to a user, usually to a mobile device or email, after inputting their login credentials. Once the user inputs the code, they can access the program or application. If the application or software doesn’t use multi-factor authentication, there are third-party applications you can use.

Multi-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security such that even if a hacker manages to steal a user’s password, they can’t access their account.

Install Defense Measures

Defense measures can help your business take your email security to the next level. Here are a few things to add to your business’s email security stack.

Authentication Methods

There are a variety of different authentication screening methods businesses can implement to determine whether or not an email is spam. Some of the most common include:

• Sender Policy Framework: This email authentication method detects forged sender addresses during email delivery.
• DomainKeys Identified Mail: This protocol detects forged sender addresses in email spoofing, a popular technique used in email scams.
• Domain-based Message Authentication: This measure alerts recipient organizations to messages that have not been properly authenticated so that they can reject or quarantine them.

Email Security Software

Adding email security software like Vade to your cybersecurity stack can seamlessly incorporate multiple defense measures at once. Email security software should include a firewall as well as anti-phishing, anti-spear-phishing, anti-malware, and insider threat protection features.

Defending Your Business

When done correctly, these email security best practices can help protect your business from email-borne cyber threats. Have questions about boosting your business’s email security? Our team of IT experts can help. Contact us to get started.