Email security is very important, especially in a business environment. Most cyber-attacks take place through scam and phishing emails. Email security involves using various tools and techniques to help identify and clear out any potential harms.
Without protection, your email account is essentially a bait for hackers and other suspicious internet users to snoop around. While it is a good idea to outsource email security to an IT company like Outsource My IT, you can still help improve the protection by following a set of email security tips below.
Fully Understand What Cyber Crimes Are
- There are many forms and shapes of cybercrime ranging from stealing login information to credit card information and sending phishing emails. In 2020, the most common and threatening form of cyber attack is called a BEC attack (Business Email Compromise) for businesses. These cyber-attacks have caused small and big companies a fortune and they continue to evolve and become harder to protect against.
The first thing you should do is to understand what various types of viruses, ransomware, malware and phishing attacks do. Each of these has a unique attack pattern and require different precautions to avoid.
Only Use Strong Passwords
- The best way to protect your email from being compromised is to come up with a very strong password. Keeping a strong account password is very important because it makes it hard for cybercriminals to break the password or guess them.
Ideally, your passwords should consist of at least eight characters made with a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special symbols. Don’t use your phone numbers, pet names, date of birth or favorite thing as passwords.
- You can also enable 2-factor verification on your email account to further protect it from being compromised. There are several password management systems that can help you keep track of your passwords. Avoid using the same password for multiple accounts.
Don’t Forget To Protect Sent Emails
- Did you know that when you send an email to someone, it does not directly go to them? The path an email takes to reach its destination is far complicated then you might have thought. The email first goes on 3rd party servers and it is then sent to its destination.
Because this route is compromised and anyone is able to look and edit the original email, it is important to protect your sent emails. One of the most common ways to protect your sent emails is to apply the TLS encryption. This will add an additional layer of security to your sent email and will effectively prevent hackers from being able to read the contents of the email.
- If your email account provider does not support TLS, then you should consider sending sensitive data through email by placing them in a zip file that is protected with a password.
Enlist Help of Professionals
- As a business, you cannot keep every one of your employee emails safe from being compromised. In times like this, it is better to outsource email security to a professional IT company that provides cybersecurity.
Outsource My IT team has the skills and experience you need to turn your business technology into a valuable asset.
Outsource My IT helps businesses align their technology with their business goals. Ever since we began doing business in 2001, it has always been our belief that companies of all sizes in all industries deserve excellent IT support. That’s why we have expanded our business over the years to deliver world-class IT support at predictable costs, making it easier for you to budget.
