Email security is an important consideration as we enter the second half of 2022. In many ways, cybersecurity is always evolving, but email security remains somewhat a constant. Email is still the most popular way for malware and other threats to be delivered to victims.
Why is email security important?
Let’s rewind and take a look at what we know from 2021. Findings from the 2021 HP Security Threat Insights Report help to inform decisions and trends to watch out for in 2022.
Findings reported that 75% of threats were sent via email in the first half of 2021. That’s a heavy majority if we’ve ever seen one!
In 2021, other notable findings related to email security from the report included:
- 15% of email phishing attempts were replied to intercepted email threads.
- 50% of email phishing attempts used invoices and business transactions as their method.
Every day, more than 333 billion emails are sent and received worldwide. On average, employees receive 120 emails a day on average. We also know that in 2020, cybercrime cost more than $4.1 billion, with business email compromise causing the most damage, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. Because tthe consequences can be severe from both a data and financial standpoint, email security is a serious threat that organizations should be paying attention to and actively addressing.
Types of Email Attacks
There a few main types of email attacks: phishing, spam, and spoofing. Malware can be placed on a computer using each of these types of attacks.
Best Practices for Email Security
- Upgrade to an email security solution with advanced threat protection. Ask us if you have questions on the best options.
- Educate employees with regular user training to identify the signs of a malicious email and report attempted attacks.
- Implement organization-wide use of multi-factor authentication to prevent account compromise.
- Move high-risk processes and transactions to more authenticated systems. Never share passwords or other sensitive data over email.
Email security may seem like basic cybersecurity but its importance lies in the fact that it is the most popular way for hackers to attack a network. Don’t sleep on email security as you consider your cybersecurity focus for the remainder of 2022. At Clarity Technology Group, we provide comprehensive managed IT security services to a range of businesses varying in size, scope and industry, in the Greater Madison, WI area. If we can support your business’ cybersecurity, get in touch with us here.