Since email is the biggest tool for business productivity, it’s no surprise that it’s also the top tool for cybercrime. Email phishing is the most common form of online exploitation, growing by 173% in the third quarter of 2023 compared to the previous quarter of the same year!
Google blocks approximately 100 million phishing emails every day. That’s a huge number for just one platform. Most of us suffer from email overload, but it is also the medium that feels safe. There is something about email that feels personal, it is addressed to us and now resides in our virtual – and physical – space. That’s probably why it’s such a successful phishing tool.
We often respond or take action quickly on an email. A quick email response before the lunch break or rushing to a meeting. They are the ones who catch us unawares. Several recent studies have investigated what causes the majority of data breaches, and unfortunately, it’s us, users. Some say this is around 88%, while others put the number closer to 95%. All data breaches are caused by human error.
Commercial director Topsec.
Here are five tactics and tools to help you strengthen your organization’s email IT security:
1. Employee training
Most of us are generally overwhelmed by emails. And often we respond in a hurry, confident that the email comes from a reliable source and contains honest information. Taking that for granted is exactly what cybercriminals rely on. That’s why an employee training and awareness program is absolutely crucial when it comes to internet security. Even the savviest technology users get caught, because criminals have one job and that is to catch us in a brief moment of ignorance or victimize the ignorant.
While it may seem insignificant, it’s things like checking sender email addresses, opening attachments carefully, or checking links beforehand that can stop a data breach. It seems obvious that these are the things that are at the heart of email phishing.
2. The wolf in the CEO’s clothing
The CEO of a company is increasingly being targeted by hackers. Often the CEO’s IT profile has access to all data systems and is therefore the most valuable access point. When executives are used for phishing, it is known as whaling. Impersonating the CEO or top executive is also a brilliantly simple method of tricking employees into providing information and access. Who’s going to say no to the CEO? Hackers will create a fake email account and request information from the appropriate staff members.
Making employees aware of these issues should be part of an education program, but it’s also a good idea to provide limited access to important systems. It is recommended to create silos of users using a particular system, or to allow system access for a limited period of time. Giving one profile (or more) full access to all systems at all times creates a huge platform for risk. Restricted access protects the user and the organization.
3. Information about cyber security threats
In cybersecurity, the evolution of algorithmic approaches and the integration of cyber threat intelligence have become essential in the fight against advanced hacker tactics. Modern algorithms now focus on core features rather than just content, and use AI to identify imitations in writing style and language. This is combined with pattern analysis to block malicious emails. At the same time, cyber threat intelligence, which analyzes attackers’ motives, goals and methods, has become a crucial layer of defense.
Because attackers use sophisticated methods such as legitimate domain emails and clean IP addresses, it is essential to have robust security systems that combine advanced algorithmic analysis with continuous threat intelligence. Human experts still play a major role here to effectively detect and counter hacker activities.
4. Think of email as just one piece of the security puzzle
While email is a useful tool for accessing an organization’s assets, it is not the only one. But it’s important to ensure that all capabilities are coordinated to block threats, from cloud applications to websites that employees can access. And technological systems are also just one aspect of cybersecurity. A large part of protecting an organization lies in ensuring that staff are vigilant and properly trained. Email security should not be a silo, but should be integrated into the bigger picture of the entire technological environment, which should be integrated into the corporate culture.
5. A multi-layered approach with an emphasis on scanning attachments
When improving email security, a multi-layered approach is paramount, with a significant emphasis on vigilant scanning of attachments. These attachments often carry malware and other cyber threats. Advanced scanning techniques are critical, using not only traditional malware signature detection but also heuristic analysis to identify new, unknown threats. This involves examining attachments in a controlled environment, or ‘sandboxing’, to detect malicious behavior.
Additionally, this multi-layered strategy must integrate robust phishing detection, continuous updates of cyber threat intelligence, and strict access controls, ensuring a comprehensive defense against the diverse and evolving nature of email-based threats.
Attackers excel at presenting an innocent front in a phishing email, and this requires not just smart systems, but human smarts at every level to keep a company’s data safe. Cybersecurity walks the fine line between maintaining efficiency and avoiding user frustration, while also keeping an organization’s most important assets safe.
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