Email is a preferred mode of communication in professional settings like offices, universities, businesses, etc. These emails can cause the disclosure of data and sensitive information like bank details, social security numbers, etc. to hackers as it is easier for them to extract information by phishing or impersonation. That’s why organizations use email security to protect their sensitive information.
What is Email Security?
Email security is a process to ensure the availability and authenticity of an email by protecting it against threats and unauthorized access. Email phishing, domain spoofing, fraud, malware delivery, etc. are some of the threats related to emails. Security and privacy are not built-in for emails rather you have to deploy solutions afterward to ensure the email and personal details are protected.
Is it secure to use Emails?
Emails have evolved but they are not foolproof. There is still a lot of work needed to be done by the service providers to ensure foolproof security against threats. According to an Anti-Phishing Working Group Report, more than 4.7 million phishing attacks took place in 2022. This shows how important it is to secure your organizational emails and educate the employees in telling the difference between a genuine email and a spam email.
Types of Email Threats
There are many ways to get access to an email account. The most commonly used ways include phishing, fraud, interception, malware, etc.
Fraud:
Hackers impersonate genuine organizations and send fraudulent emails to people in the accounts departments of companies and trick them with advance-fee scams. Hackers use domain spoofing to show that the email came from a valid source.
Phishing:
Phishing attacks are those in which attackers direct people to a fake website where they collect sensitive data. They may also pressure people into giving sensitive data by impersonating a government agency or a bank. Domain spoofing can be used for phishing attacks.
Malware:
There are many types of malware like spyware, adware, scareware, ransomware, etc. that are uploaded to your device using an email. In this type of attack, a link or an attachment is embedded in the email waiting to be clicked. Once it is clicked malware is installed into your device giving absolute access to the perpetrator.
Domain Spoofing:
Domain spoofing in emails is a tactic in which the attacker changes the sender’s address in the header of the email to imitate a trusted source. The goal is to trick receivers into thinking the email comes from a reputable source. This prompts people to share personal information, click on malicious links and download malware.
Importance of Employee Training
Email security is useless if employees do not know how to use the technology. To benefit from the features of email security solutions organizations must train their employees to understand the features and preventive measures that one should implement to be safe from email threats. To do this organizations can set up workshops that are designed to impart knowledge to employees about the proper use of email security tools to gain a better understanding of the security threats.
How DNS Records Help in Preventing Attacks
A domain name system (DNS) is where all the domain records are stored along with the domain IP address. DNS allows users to connect with websites to send emails without having to remember long IP addresses. Special types of DNS records ensure the email is from a trusted source, not a perpetrator. These DNS records are SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. The email service provider checks for all three records when an email is received from anyone.
SPF:
The sender policy framework (SPF) is a type of DNS TXT record that lists authorized servers to which emails can be sent from a particular domain. Once an SPF is added to your domain this prevents spammers from sending forged emails to your domain email addresses. This puts an extra layer of security in terms of which servers can send you emails.
DKIM:
Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM) is an authentication protocol that is used to prevent email spoofing. This protocol increases email security by checking the authenticity of the sender’s email domain by the receiver’s server.
DMARC:
Domain-Based Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) is also a TXT record that is used as a method for the authentication of email. The DMARC policy tells the email server what to do once the SPF and DKIM checks are done which are additional methods of email verification.
Benefits of Email Security
Email security is not something to take lightly as today we do everything digitally. Our passwords, and sensitive information is saved online. This makes email a go-to place for hackers to attack. Some of its benefits are:
Authenticity:
Using email security measures you can authenticate your email using the TXT records making your email authentic. This means your emails will check all lists in every domain authentication list out there. This also builds up trust between organizations and users which tells users that the email came from a trusted source.
Avoidance of Fraud:
Email security protocols help individuals identify risky emails that possibly could be phishing or spoofing attacks done in an attempt to rob you of your data. Identification of such threats helps organizations reduce email security threats.
Availability:
Email security ensures the continuous availability of email services which helps businesses in communication with their employees and customers. Security software comes with features that clear junk out of emails to create space for new emails.
Malware Protection:
Security solutions come with the ability to identify malware within emails. If these solutions are integrated into your device they can help you reduce the malware by identifying spammy and troublesome emails. This also protects the device’s data and privileged information.
Email Security Tools
There are many email security tools out there but today we will discuss two of them which can secure your emails and provide you with the best integrations.
Barracuda Email Security Gateway:
Barracuda is a reputable organization that provides an Email Security Gateway with cutting-edge phishing, spoofing, fraud, and impersonation prevention. These security capabilities can save organizations from cyber threats, identity theft, and loss of privacy.
Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration:
The main feature of CheckPoint’s Harmony Email and Collaboration is phishing prevention. This software is so powerful that it prevents 99.2% of phishing emails. Its advanced malware prevention helps businesses detect malicious links and data that can install malware on devices and laptops. It also can be connected through an API. There is also a data loss prevention system that can help recover files.
Conclusion
Email is an important source of communication. Business conversations usually happen over email. This is why it becomes easier for hackers to impersonate people and breach security. To stay safe from attacks like phishing, spoofing, and malware, email security is important. Email is secured by using authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Employee training is also necessary so that they can spot threats easily. Companies can also deploy security solutions like Barracuda Email Security Gateway and CheckPoint’s Harmony Email and Collaboration to keep emails safe. In this digital world, it should be your utmost priority to protect sensitive business information from getting into the hands of the wrong people.
