The email was designed to be as accessible and open as possible. It allows people within an enterprise to communicate with each other freely. The problem? When an email is used so freely, there is a lack of security, allowing hackers to steal important information via phishing emails. If your email isn’t secure, cybercriminals can manage to infect an entire company network. Cyber attackers might even convince email users to download malware onto their system or approve fake bills.
Meaning & importance of email security
Email security refers to using myriad techniques to keep important and sensitive information in accounts and email communication secure. Such precautions are primarily taken against unauthorized loss, access, or compromise. Moreover, email security safeguards the content of an email account that typically serves as a medium for spreading spam, malware, and phishing attacks.
It is vital to stop attacks right at the entry point. Therefore, some of the proactive email security measures you can take are using a secure email service with end-to-end encryption like Canary Mail, creating strong passwords and making it a habit to rotate passwords, etc. Also, it would be best if you refrained from downloading attachments and opening emails from unknown sources.
If you are wondering why email security is essential, these are some of the plausible reasons:
- Emails are a primary target for cyber attackers because it is the official medium of communication in almost all big and small enterprises.
- If there is a small loophole or the cybercriminal can hack a company email account, the entire network will be affected. Cybercriminals might steal important company information and bring it to the public domain.
- The methods used by cyber attackers are quite sophisticated and high-end. Therefore, you need to take proper email security measures not to become a victim of phishing emails and malware attacks.
Benefits of email security
● Helps in avoiding business risks and losses
Due to different types of email threats, there’s so much at stake these days. Therefore, for businesses or individuals, nobody wants to send unencrypted emails.
Protect your sensitive data contained in emails, and you don’t have to encounter losses. Without end-to-end encryption, your emails can be accessed by anyone, and your competitors might use such information to gain leverage over your company. Such business risks and losses can be avoided by taking email security seriously.
● Confidential, sensitive information is protected
Email encryption helps protect sensitive, confidential information like bank account numbers, credit card details, social security numbers, etc. If your email isn’t secure, hackers can use your personal information for their malicious intent. Therefore, to avoid leakage of crucial information, you need to take email security seriously.
● The possibilities of getting message replays are nullified
Did you know the message you sent can be altered and modified? Then, the message can be re-sent later. So, one might get an authentic message first and then keep receiving fake messages that appear official. It will be difficult for recipients to gauge whether the email message is modified. If the authentic message were already deleted, the recipient would not even know that they have received the message before.
Such message replays might aim to steal crucial information and even contain malicious attachments. The moment the recipient clicks on download, their system will be infected with malware.
● Email security helps users to avoid identity theft
If anybody gets hold of your email account’s username and password, they can read your messages. Moreover, they can start sending false messaging to your contacts on your behalf. The activity is referred to as identity theft. You can avoid being in the middle of such a malicious situation if you opt for email encryption and keep your data safe.
You must remember not to share your password with anyone and make it a habit to keep changing your password. If you think it is too much of a hassle, it is essential to download a password manager so you can keep track of your passwords.
● Unprotected backups
The sent email messages are stored on an outgoing server, known as SMTP servers or simple mail transfer protocol servers. Text copies of your messages will be kept as backups of server disks, and these backups might be present for years. Even if you think you have deleted important email messages, they live on through these backup files. If anyone has access to those backup files, they can easily read all your email communications and use the information to harm you or your business.
Summing up
If email is the primary mode of communication, you need to protect all the sensitive information. So, you cannot take email security lightly anymore. Also, it would be best to stay protected against hackers by creating a strong password, frequently changing your email password, and not downloading attachments sent by unknown senders.
