Email Security

Using email security is the set of methods used for keeping email correspondence and accounts safe from these types of attacks. Recommended policies and procedures include:

• Password Cycling: Requiring employees to use strong passwords and mandate frequent password changes. This helps to ensure that, even if a password is compromised, its use can be limited.
• Secure Login: Ensure that webmail applications use encryption. This is standard functionality, but critical to prevent emails from being intercepted by malicious actors.
• Spam Filtering: Implement scanners and other tools to scan messages and block emails containing malware or other malicious files before they reach end users. Even relatively benign spam – such as marketing offers – can hamper productivity if employees have to manually remove it from their inboxes.
• Spyware Protection: A robust cybersecurity program or a dedicated spyware removal service that can dispose of malicious email attachments and repair altered files/settings.
• Email Encryption: Encryption technologies let users encrypt emails between sender and recipient. This is a necessity for businesses where sensitive information is shared frequently via communication platforms like email.
• Employee Education: Engage employees in ongoing security education around email security risks and how to avoid falling victim to phishing attacks over email. Some companies send their own employees mock phishing emails in order to test their resistance to these attacks.

When educating your employees on best practices to guarantee security of their email accounts, employees should be encouraged to:

• Avoid opening attachments, and avoid clicking on hyperlinks without checking them first.
• Frequently change password, and follow standard best practices for complexity and length.
• Avoid sharing passwords with anyone – even co-workers or friends.
• Avoid sharing of sensitive information within emails – only send it to trusted individuals, and only when required.
• Use secure VPN software to access corporate email when working remotely.
• Don’t access company email or sensitive information when using public Wi-Fi connections.

It’s important that users and organizations take measures to guarantee the security of their email accounts against known attacks, and it’s especially important that a proper infrastructure is in place to stop any unauthorized attempts at accessing accounts or communications. Users are especially susceptible to phishing attacks against businesses, because they sidestep technical security protections, and instead lean into users themselves to expose weaknesses. This is why email security solutions should start with proper techniques like encryption, spyware detection, and login security. But it’s equally important that employees are educated on the proper steps that should be taken to protect email.

To learn more about K3 Technology’s Email Security Services, call us at 303-770-8050. We’re here to help, and we can ensure that your business won’t be compromised by phishing attacks, or any other type of email-based hack. Don’t put your company at risk – get started right away.