Email will always be an essential communication and collaboration medium in your business. However, it also enables cybercriminals to devise sophisticated phishing attacks.
Phishing is the fraudulent practice of sending emails claiming to be a legitimate entity such as a trusted company or an individual in order to acquire login credentials and steal personal and financial information. In fact, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported $12.5 billion in business losses due to email compromise.
As long as email exists, there will always be phishing attempts. As such, it’s important for all businesses to take a proactive approach rather than a reactive one. Here’s what you should do:
#1. Review your current configuration
One easy way to improve email security is to review your existing configuration. For instance, if some employees are complaining about unsolicited and sketchy emails, check if you have your spam filter turned on. Also, look at your spam folder to make sure authentic messages are not getting caught in your spam filter. This way, you ensure only harmful messages are filtered out while safe emails go to your inbox.
#2. Use multifactor authentication (MFA)
MFA makes use of more than one method to verify a user’s identity. This may include a password and a one-time code sent to the user's smartphone. Other MFA methods include facial and fingerprint recognition.
By adding another layer of security, it's much more difficult for hackers to compromise email accounts and commit further fraud. To compromise an MFA-enabled account, they'll not only need to guess your password but also steal your device or biometric data.
#3. Utilize mailbox intelligence
An employee gets several emails within a day, and it can get overwhelming (and dangerous) to read through all of them, especially if spam emails get through.
Mailbox intelligence technology determines which contacts are safe and which need a closer inspection. For example, you may configure your system to mark emails from your company domain to be safe. Any other emails sent outside your network can be sent to the spam folder, as these are more likely to be phishing attacks.
#4. User training and phishing campaigns
Organize regular training sessions in the office to keep your employees informed on how to best protect themselves from cyberthreats.
For instance, you conduct a live simulation of a phishing attempt. Send a fake phishing email to everyone on staff, and observe how they will react. After recording your findings, provide the necessary lessons for those who struggled with the exercise.
#5. Implement web and document isolation
If your email security system can’t determine the authenticity of a certain website or attachment, you should implement web and document isolation features such as those offered by Symantec.
This feature executes web sessions away from endpoints, thereby preventing harmful, malware-infected websites from reaching your devices. Only information deemed safe is delivered to users.
For instance, if you open an attachment within your email inbox, it won’t immediately download the file in your system. Web and document isolation will instead open it in a separate, secure environment where you can determine if the file is safe or not. This reduces your exposure to well-disguised phishing attacks.
Need a robust and proactive email security system? We’ve got your back. F1 Solutions’ IT Support & Management Services can help you with email encryption, spam filtering, archiving, and so much more. Call us today.
