As part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we are sharing some further insights and guidance into the complexities of cyber security strategies.
In this article, we are taking a closer look at how to protect your emails and spot the signs of phishing attacks.
Email attacks are incredibly sophisticated. Hackers place extreme efforts into replicating an organisation’s look and style, making it incredibly difficult to spot the tell-tale signs of a phishing scam.
More than 160 billion spam emails are sent daily worldwide (source: EmailToolTester). This means it has never been more important to place email security at the heart of your cybersecurity strategies.
Why do hackers target emails?
Emails are the most common way for hackers to gain access to corporate systems and steal your confidential data.
A shocking 30% of all phishing emails are opened by users who may not realise that an email isn’t genuine. Hackers rely on human error to gain access to confidential information. They target email users because they only need one person to click on a malicious link to access an internal system.
Could remote working contribute towards lax email security?
By now, we are all used to working from home or working in a hybrid environment.
Working from home shouldn’t mean lax email security. In fact, if your remote working capabilities have been set up correctly, you should have access to the same stringent security levels in an office environment.
However, we know that phishing attempts rely on human errors.
The longer we work from home, the more likely we are to develop bad cybersecurity habits.
For example, workers might use personal devices to access corporate networks. Or they could send corporate emails via their personal email addresses that may not have the same security settings. Working from home could also put workers in a more relaxed mindset, leading to lapses of judgment which could lead to an individual accidently opening a malicious link without realising it.
As part of our cybersecurity services, we spend a lot of time educating clients across Ipswich, Colchester and Felixstowe about the importance of cybersecurity. We take the time to explain why internal IT policies and procedures are even more important to adhere to when working from home. We also routinely educate businesses on how to spot the signs of a phishing scam.
Email protection should be a multi-layered approach
To protect your emails fully, we recommend that you should always take a multi-layered approach to your security settings.
Cybersecurity begins with education.
As an employer, you should incorporate cybersecurity training into your business strategy so that every employee knows how to identify a suspicious email and what to do if they suspect they’ve been hacked.
Multi-factor authentication is essential
All of our clients have multi-factor authentication set up as standard. This is where you will be alerted via a secondary device to any log-in attempts. You will have to verify your identity before proceeding with any access to secure systems.
Consider your password protection
Password protection goes hand-in-hand with multi-factor authentication. But you also need to have a system in place that automatically reminds employees to change their password regularly. In addition, passwords should feature a wide range of letters, numbers and special characters and shouldn’t be easily guessed by others.
You should also incorporate layers of protection that prevent unauthorised access to data. For example, we advocate for a ‘least privilege’ approach, which means that users only have access to the files and folders needed to do their job. This can limit any access to data from unintended users.
Spam filters will protect your inbox
Basic email protections may divert external emails to your junk folder, but you need to think about how you can protect yourself from internal emails that may be compromised. For example, if a co-worker has unknowingly opened a malicious email, their email account may not be secure. Anti-spam software such as Barracuda can take a “Zero Trust Access” approach to any email, giving you lasting protection.
Security settings on bring your own devices
We’re used to being able to access our emails from our phones. Likewise, with remote working, many of us have been working from our personal laptops or computers. But security settings must be in place to ensure those personal devices are not unwittingly breaching internal security policies.
We can work with your employees to set up security controls so that any personal devices are configured properly.
Always backup your emails
If you’re using Microsoft 365, you must have backups in place to protect your emails and your confidential corporate data. Microsoft is built with strict security controls, but they take a shared responsibility approach to backups. You need to have plans in place that will give you access to quick retrieval or recovery of any lost data, and emails are an essential part of that process.
Lucid Systems can protect your emails from malicious threats
We work closely with businesses like yours to protect your inboxes from malicious threats.
We’ve seen first-hand what could happen if an employee accidently falls victim to a phishing scam, and prevention is always better than cure.
As IT security advisors in Ipswich, our team of trained engineers can install effective email security solutions that protect your team, whether working from home or in the office. We can provide training and education on how to identify phishing scams, and we can proactively manage any threats. With our help, you can reduce your risk of being affected by cybersecurity scams.
Protecting your emails starts with a phone call to 01473 355199.
