Email is still the most effective form of electronic communication for businesses all over the world. Future estimates suggest that by 2025 daily email traffic will reach 376 billion. The prominence of email makes it a popular target for cybercriminals. Robust email security is necessary to minimize the risks of these threats, which can be damaging to a business in many different ways. As many businesses now have remote workers, the risks are even higher, and businesses need better email security.
Table of Contents
- 1. The range of cyber threats has grown
- 2. Cyberattacks have become more sophisticated
- 3. Businesses must protect confidential information
- 4. Email providers don’t offer enough security
- 5. Human involvement creates loopholes
- 6. All businesses are potential targets
- 7. Cloud-based computing creates vulnerabilities
1. The range of cyber threats has grown
Now that more employees are working remotely, this comes with increased security risks, such as the use of insecure connections or devices. If employees use insecure personal devices for business purposes, this could result in a breach of business systems. Cyber threats keep evolving and malicious emails account for over 90% of all cyberattacks. If your business uses emails, you are vulnerable, and you need to take preventative action.
A security solution should cover the wide variety of modern threats – without complicating IT processes or interfering too much with user experience. Perception Point’s advanced email security solution outperforms any other solution on the market. It is easy to deploy without changing existing infrastructure and will protect a business from APTs, phishing, malware, ATO, impersonation, and BEC attacks.
2. Cyberattacks have become more sophisticated
Malicious emails can contain URLs and attachments that hide malware. Malware is computer software that can cause harm. Malware that could be identified by antivirus engines in the past now uses sophisticated formulas to evade detection and exhibits a range of behaviors. Another type of harmful software is a Trojan which is designed to get a foothold on a target computer where it can collect data and possibly download specialized malware, such as ransomware or keyloggers.
When it comes to ransomware, losing access to critical data and systems is resulting in organizations paying out a ransom to cybercriminals. The result of these attacks can be not only financial loss but downtime, loss of customer trust, and a tarnished reputation. Even with the payment of a ransom, there’s no guarantee of a total recovery.
Today, phishers can impersonate several parties within the same phishing campaign in order to make a message more credible to a victim. No longer do attackers need to have a technical background to develop and deploy phishing attacks. They can simply use a phishing kit.
3. Businesses must protect confidential information
Every business has confidential information that includes employee information, bank account details, financial data, and much more. Hackers are eager to gain access to this data and without good email security, it is easy for them to do so. Confidential information is the ultimate asset for businesses in today’s competitive environment, and ensuring data integrity is critical.
An advanced email security solution is foundational to network security. There has been a rise in advanced threats such as business email compromise (BEC). Criminals can even pretend to be the CEO or director of a business to persuade employees to provide sensitive information, and built-in anti-spam solutions won’t be able to cope with more sophisticated attacks.
4. Email providers don’t offer enough security
Many companies rely on the basic security settings offered by their email service provider and see taking additional security measures as a burden rather than an investment. However, it costs much more and takes much more effort to deal with data leaks than to invest in protection. A data leak can do a great deal of damage to the reputation of a business, and if businesses don’t comply with data protection laws, such as GDPR, they can face sanctions and fines due to data breaches as a result of email attacks.
Some phishing emails trick the user into taking action, such as sending money to a certain bank account. Email security solutions that only look for malware or phishing links can miss such attacks completely because they don’t have the appearance of a malicious email and rely on human actions to work.
5. Human involvement creates loopholes
Email may be remotely managed and cloud-stored but it is manually operated by end-users. It is mostly up to humans to read email messages, respond, click links, and download attachments. Spam filters can block some unwanted emails. However, the human element can always create loop loopholes for error.
Relying on the best security software and tools won’t fully protect your business against data breaches. Security awareness training should be mandatory in every business as human errors account for many security breaches. One slip-up can be costly when it comes to email security. If you want your organization to remain secure as a whole, you’ll need to spend time educating and training your employees to follow email security best practices.
6. All businesses are potential targets
Some small business owners may not think they are not as vulnerable to cyberattacks but this is not the case. According to data from Verizon, nearly 30% of breaches involve small businesses. Many phishing emails can result in businesses paying for fake bills. Credential theft is another reason for phishing emails and with an employee’s username and password, it is easy to steal sensitive company data.
There’s been tremendous growth in the online industry with online pharmacies, games, mobile apps, grocery shopping etc. Every business is susceptible to threats but online businesses are particularly vulnerable.
7. Cloud-based computing creates vulnerabilities
There are many advantages that come with moving from an on-premises setup to a cloud-based one. Email servers are now often in the cloud and no longer have the traditional network perimeter.
The growing use of cloud-based email and document sharing solutions, such as Google Drive and Microsoft365, has opened up new avenues for attack. Hackers no longer have to breach your local area network to gain access to your email server. They can steal your credentials and monitor and divert emails. In this way, they can gain access to sensitive information about your business, your employees, vendors, and customers.
