Cyberattacks initiated via emails continue to evolve and increase in effectiveness, requiring businesses to implement best practices in their approach to email security. According to recent statistics, over 80% of organizations have been targeted by phishing attacks since 2020, and over 80% of data breaches are the result of human error, vastly via email.
How can organizations ensure their email security is heightened in proportion to such an onslaught? The following are nine email security tips considered best practices.
1. Implement Security Awareness Training
Since the human element continues to be one of the greatest security vulnerabilities, ongoing training of employees in threat awareness and best practices is essential. TPx’s Managed Security Awareness Training Program can empower your organization’s employees to be the first line of defense by giving them the information on how to spot malicious emails and what to do when they receive one. Businesses shouldn’t just stop at training employees – they should put that education to the test with regular phishing simulations.
2. Use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Multi-factor authentication is a simple way to reduce or eliminate common password mistakes in your organization. While the use of common or easy-to-guess passwords may be rampant, MFA helps prevent this from being a vulnerability. Because MFA requires something you have like a token and something you know like a password, it is much more difficult for bad actors to breach the authentication process. This extra step may be one of the most important factors (pun intended) in preventing unauthorized access.
3. Layer Your Outlook Email Security
Never be content with basic email security — it can’t and won’t defend against every threat. The best defense is a layered defense. Rather than choosing a single native security option, layer strategies such as employee awareness training, email encryption, MFA, and third-party add-ins to augment your security.
4. Create Strong Email Security Protocols
Additionally, email protocols can be effectively configured to verify the encryption of outgoing emails and filter out incoming emails that likely contain malicious attachments, phishing elements, or spam. It basically works as a trust system for email communication. This will increase productivity and efficiency in addition to improved security.
5. Implement Strong Endpoint Security
Email clients are one of the components that can make endpoints vulnerable to cyberattacks. Effective endpoint security solutions are essential to protect organizations of all sizes, especially due to the increase in remote access, edge computing, and IoT devices. TPx’s Managed Endpoint Security Solution is designed to improve threat identification, ensure compliance, implement security policies, and reduce the cost of threat mitigation and response.
6. Limit Admin Management
An underestimated weakness is not being judicious enough with admin access to your systems. Be sure to limit admin privileges to those whose job requires it. Admin accounts are some of the most targeted since admin users hold the figurative keys to the castle. Periodically review admin management privileges and keep them contained.
7. Use Secure Internet Connections
Require users to always use secure internet connections, such as VPNs, when accessing company emails. Maintain control of what devices are used for access, and never access company emails from public Wi-Fi networks. Using unsecured connections could result in being the victim of a man-in-the-middle attack.
8. Submit Suspicious Emails for Analysis
Leveraging an integrated email tool, such as TPx’s Managed Inbox Detection and Response, offers employees the ability to submit suspicious emails for analysis, effectively creating a learning and adaptation response to evolve your security posture in the face of evolving threats. Managed Inbox Detection and Response uses both AI and human analysis to identify malicious emails and keep them from becoming a problem.
9. Encrypt Emails
Encrypting emails is a basic best practice. Email security protocols, such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS), ensure that outgoing and incoming communications are encrypted before delivering, providing an additional layer to encryption.
How TPx Can Help
By working with a managed security services provider, you can strengthen your email security and mitigate your risk of an attack. TPx’s knowledgeable team can help ensure you’re using best practices and the latest technology to protect your business.
Fight phishing and ransomware head on with the help of TPx. We offer comprehensive security options to protect your business at every level – your network, your endpoints, and your users. For a limited time, we’re offering a cost-effective way to fight ransomware. Our ransomware protection bundle combines Managed Inbox Detection and Response, Cloud Backups, and Security Awareness Training for the low price of just $8/user/month. Want to learn more about our current promos and offers? Reach out to a TPx representative today.