Today’s leading Cyber-Security experts identify spam as one of the main sources of cyber-attacks. These unwanted emails are more than just annoying irritants. To protect your data from the risk of cyber-attack during this time of increased remote work, you need a powerful comprehensive email security solution. Below are several email security protection strategies that can shield your company from email-based cyber-security attacks.

Email is a critical aspect of business communications in today’s corporate environment. We continually share critical and sensitive business information by email. It is therefore vital to maintain an advanced email protection system in order to keep this information secure. This email protection package should offer anti-spam software, encrypted email backups, private and secure cloud-based email delivery along with anti-phishing security awareness training.

Let’s take a deeper dive into some common tactics online scammers use:

•         Pretending to be your boss or another person that’s higher up in your company. It’s easier to convince you to do what they’re asking if it appears to be from someone from within your company. This is also known as CEO fraud.
•         Emotional manipulation by implying that the situation is highly time-sensitive and that you must act right now or face serious consequences. “Perpetrators use persuasion and pressure to manipulate and exploit human nature” according to the FBI.
•         Impersonating another company or using a company logo, letterhead, font, or creating fake email addresses that look similar to official ones (john@company.com vs john@c0mpany.com) to make you think this is an official email from an authentic source.
•         Hiding malware in email attachments. Opening an attached file could give scammers a way into your company’s network to gain access to private information. 

Phishing scammers will go to great lengths to try to force your hand into giving them what they want, often communicating back and forth with you to convince you to trust them. Blacklisting one email does not stop them from creating a new email and trying again. Phishing is steadily getting worse in America and across the world.

Key Steps to Preventing Cyber Attacks:

Security software should be installed that scans every email before it’s received in the server. This software should use virus scanning, real-time intent analysis, spam scoring, reputation checks, URL link protection, and other methods to provide you with the best level of virus protection.

Additionally, cybersecurity software should utilize a global 24/7 threat detection system which continuously monitors the internet for new threats, and then uses this information to constantly optimize the spam and virus filtering technology. This anti-virus software must be always up to date.

Protecting outbound email:

It happens all the time. Unwittingly, an employee can cause internal systems to generate spam or other malicious mail. An outbound email filtering system should be installed that detects these emails and stops any attack that originates from inside the network. 

In addition to preventing unwanted email from leaving your network, email security software should include data loss protection and email encryption features to store sensitive data—such as social security numbers, credit card information, HIPAA data, and more—from leaving your business. The email security system needs a content policy ensuring that certain outbound emails can be encrypted, quarantined, or even blocked based on their content, source, or recipient.

What happens to email if the server goes offline?

If the company mail server goes offline for any reason, an email security system should provide email continuity by moving over to a cloud-based email service, allowing users to continue to send and receive emails, staying productive until the primary servers come back online.

What should be done to help users determine if an email that “looks real” may actually be infected?

Even with the most sophisticated email filtering, some of these attacks can reach users—such as via their voicemail or personal email. An email security system should use phishing training and simulation to ensure continuous user security awareness. Running occasional tests will help you learn which users are likely to open a dangerous email and will provide insight into where your training efforts are best spent.

How Can You Protect Yourself?

Have you already had your information compromised due to a phishing scam or other email-related fraud? Be proactive in implementing a security email protection plan and protecting your assets with security awareness training. 

Consult with an MSP like Kustura Technologies to explore secure email hosting servers and anti-spam measures to keep your email secure. Learn how to tell the difference between legitimate and fraudulent email, CEO fraud, or phishing scams with our security training classes. Our business email services will protect your email from malicious software and hackers. To learn more about our cybersecurity and email spam and virus protection, call Kustura Technologies at 904-855-8885 or visit our website.