5 Email Security Best Practices Your Business Must Know

With email being one of the most widely used forms of business communication today, cybercriminals exploit it as a gateway to launch attacks. This can lead to financial losses, reputational damage, operational disruptions, and legal and compliance issues. Given these risks, it’s important for businesses like yours to prioritize email security.  

In this blog post, we will discuss the various types of email threats and best practices you can leverage to protect against them. Finally, we’ll explore how Techmedics can help your business improve your email security posture.  

What are the Most Common Email Threats Today?

Email threats come in various forms and methods:

1. Phishing

A form of social engineering attack wherein cybercriminals disguise themselves as a trusted entity (like a relative or a business partner) and trick a victim into opening an email, instant message, or SMS. The target is then duped into clicking on an attachment or link that will either install malware or open a fake website that will steal sensitive information.

It’s estimated that 3.4 billion phishing emails are sent daily. What’s worse, a report by computer and network security company GreatHorn found that 57% of organizations encounter phishing attempts on a daily or weekly basis.  

2. Credential Stuffing

Attackers exploit leaked username and password combinations from data breaches to attempt to access email accounts. This attack especially targets users who reuse passwords on different services.

3. Brute Force Attacks

A brute force attack is a simple hacking method in which a threat actor systematically enters multiple username and password combinations. The hacker’s goal is to eventually guess the correct login credentials to gain access to a user’s account.

4. Malware

Short for malicious software, malware refers to programs designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to a network or computer system. This can take the form of spyware, viruses, ransomware, and Trojan horses.

5. Session Hijacking

This is where threat actors exploit flaws in network protocols and web applications to steal active session tokens. This gives them access to email accounts without the need to provide a password or another authentication factor (e.g., facial scan, physical key)

How Can You Protect Your Business from Email Threats?

To protect your business against email threats, you need a proactive and comprehensive approach. Here are some best practices you can follow:

1. Deploy Security Solutions

An effective email security strategy involves deploying different security solutions such as:

• Email filtering tools: These are security programs that analyze incoming and outgoing email traffic to intercept unwanted or potentially harmful messages like phishing emails before they can reach a user’s inbox.

• Antivirus software: These are platforms that can prevent, detect, quarantine, and remove malware like viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and ransomware from programs and emails.

• Integrated Cloud Email Security (ICES): ICES is a platform that uses AI and machine learning to detect and respond to sophisticated email threats like business email compromise (BEC).

2. Implement Multifactor Authentication (MFA)

MFA is an authentication method that requires users to verify their identity using two or more authentication factors before gaining access to an account. These factors normally fall into three categories:

• Something you know: Passwords or PINs

• Something you have: Physical security keys, smart cards, or a one-time PIN sent to your mobile device

• Something you are: Biometric data, such as iris scans, fingerprints, or facial recognition

With MFA, even if a threat actor gains a hold of your username and password, they won’t be able to infiltrate your account without providing your other authentication factors.

3. Use Strong Passwords

Despite stern warnings from cybersecurity experts, many people still use weak passwords like “12345678,” “f0otball,” and “picture1.” This is because many prioritize ease of access over strong security, while others don’t fully understand the risks of weak passwords.

Instead of prioritizing convenience, adopting better password practices such as the ones below can ensure security and accessibility:

Use passphrases

These are passwords composed of a combination of random words, such as “correcthorsebatterystaple” or “footnote proofing unseated unhinge.” Passphrases are longer and harder for attackers to guess, but also easier to remember for a user due to their use of natural language patterns.

Leverage password managers

If you don’t want to generate strong passwords yourself, you can use password managers. These tools suggest strong passwords whenever you sign up for an online account and securely store them in an encrypted vault that only you can access. They can even automatically fill-in your credentials whenever you log in to an account.

Avoid frequent password resets

For many years, cybersecurity experts recommended frequent password resets as they believed it would reduce the risk of account takeover. As such, several organizations required employees to change their passwords every 30, 60, or 90 days.

However, newer studies showed that forced password changes often resulted in weaker security. This is because users tended to make their new passwords similar to their old ones (e.g., Horizonblock123 → Horizonblock1234), making them easier to crack.

As a result, institutions like the NCSC and NIST now discourage mandatory password resets unless a breach occurs.

4. Conduct Regular Security Awareness Training

According to the State of Human Risk report by IT security company Mimecast, 95% of data breaches today involve human error. What’s more, a recent KnowBe4 survey found that employees tend to overestimate their ability to detect phishing attempts.

Taking these insights into account, it’s imperative for your organization to regularly conduct security awareness training.  

Your training modules should teach employees how to identify and deal with suspicious emails and phishing scams and scrutinize attachments and links. They should also cover securing sensitive emails through encryption and avoiding accessing business emails over unsecured networks.  

One of the best ways to conduct your training is through simulation exercises. These test your employees’ reaction times and defenses and reveal strengths and weaknesses in your organization’s security posture.

For example, you can send out a fake phishing email to everyone in the company and see who falls for the bait. Reward those who did well, and guide those who struggled.

5. Update and Patch Your Systems

Ensure you have a set schedule for updating and patching your email-related software, such as your servers, email clients, and security tools. By doing so, you address known vulnerabilities and ensure your email systems are running the most secure versions.  

Alternatively, you can utilize automated patch management systems. These eliminate the need for manual patching, saving your IT teams time and effort. Automated systems also help you stay compliant with security regulations like HIPAA, ISO 27001, or CMMC.

Techmedics’ Managed Security Services can help your business improve your email security strategy. Our solutions like advanced endpoint protection, cybersecurity awareness training, and incident response and recovery help protect your organization from suspicious and malicious emails, significantly reducing the risk of a data breach. Get a FREE consultation today to know more.  

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