While email may seem like an archaic form of communication in 2024, it is still the most widely used across the globe — and, unfortunately, it’s also the most susceptible to security threats. Because it is so ubiquitous and simple to utilize, email remains the primary vector for online attacks, and such attacks are only growing more sophisticated and effective. That’s why it’s important to never stop working toward ironclad email security for your business and employees.
Email Security Solutions
Fortunately, there is a wide variety of tools and best practices you can use to ensure robust email security regardless of your company’s size or industry.
Password Managers
Opening a virus-laden email or falling for a tech support scam is bad, but losing access to your entire email account to a cybercriminal can be far worse. With control over your account, they can gain access to other apps and platforms that use this email address and pose as you in order to scam your colleagues or family.
You know you need strong passwords to prevent this from happening, but with so many login credentials to keep track of, it can be easy to become complacent. The good news is password managers have come a long way in functionality and affordability, so you really can’t afford not to use one in 2024. A password manager automatically generates strong passwords for you, securely stores them, and inputs them into the correct fields automatically. You get the benefits of unique and uncrackable passwords for all of your logins without having to work to remember them.
Multi-factor Authentication (MFA)
MFA is not new, but it’s vital enough and enough people still haven’t implemented it that a reminder is not out of place here. With MFA enabled on your email accounts, users will have to provide additional credentials beyond their password to log in. This usually takes the form of a code that is SMS texted to the user or generated by an app on their smartphone. This feature ensures that even if an email account’s password is cracked or stolen, bad actors can’t access it because they lack the additional authentication factors.
Related reading: What is Multi-factor Authentication and How Does It Protect Your Business? |
Secure Email Gateway (SEG)
An SEG is a tool that uses signature analysis and machine learning to identify and block malicious emails before they reach the intended recipient. Think of it as a digital checkpoint that all incoming emails must pass through before they are allowed into your network, where they are scanned for malicious code, possible phishing attempts, and more. Furthermore, with the addition of advanced cloud integrations, an SEG has access to even more information and capabilities that will keep unwanted emails of all kinds out of your inboxes.
End-to-End Encryption
Protecting your emails from prying eyes and cybercriminals while they are in transit used to require relatively expensive and complex third-party software. Thankfully, now, in 2024, end-to-end encryption can be built into your email server or easily integrated into your cloud platform. End-to-end encryption renders your email inaccessible without a decryption key that only authorized personnel possess. Check with your IT services provider to ensure that encryption is enabled and configured to your needs for maximum effectiveness.
Employee Email Security Training
As advanced as new email security tools are, there are no silver bullets, no perfect solutions. Ultimately, your employees are your last and arguably best line of defense against malicious emails. Once your workforce has been trained to spot suspicious and harmful emails, it won’t matter how sophisticated the attack is; if these emails remain unopened, they can’t harm your systems.
But email security training is not a “one and done” thing. As threats evolve, your teams will need regular refreshers to make certain they can keep up. Schedule yearly classes led by trained cybersecurity professionals to keep your employees alert and educated on the latest kinds of attacks.
Regular Email Security Reviews
Because email threats are evolving so quickly these days, you need to periodically assess the security posture of your email system with thorough security audits so you don’t fall behind. These audits should include vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and access control reviews. It’s worth considering hiring experienced cybersecurity consultants to perform these assessments to leverage their expertise and outside perspective, which will help you address problems you didn’t even know were present.
Get expert help
If you have concerns about your email security or simply want to boost your company’s security posture, then contact us at AllConnected.