Email Encryption Privacy Tactics the Pros Use
Nearly 300 billion emails travel between senders and recipients each year worldwide. With that much information on the move, cybercriminals have many opportunities to intercept, compromise, or expose data while in transit. Vulnerable targets can include message content, attachments, user names, passwords, and even financial information. With stakes this high, effective email privacy controls are essential.
Fortunately, there are a few email encryption tactics you can put in place now to prevent a potentially costly cyber-attack later. Let’s have a look at a few.
Use Web-Based Email
Modern transport layer security (TLS) employs tools such as Internet Message Access Protocols (IMAP), Post Office Protocols (POP), and Simple Mail Transfer Protocols (SMTP) to safeguard email while in transit.
But if you use a local (rather than a web-based) email provider, you may not be receiving the benefits provided by these added layers of security. Ask your web-based email provider what security protocols they use and how your email is protected end-to-end.
Adopt Advanced Anti-Malware Protocols
For years, businesses and individuals have been safeguarding their electronic communications from viruses, spam, and phishing scams. While traditional methods have focused simply on identifying signatures of known malware, but more advanced initiatives now use more sophisticated methods - such as threat intelligence - to pinpoint the IP and email addresses of malicious sources. These newer tools can help identify bad actors in nearly real time, providing an extra layer of email security.
Perform Regular Email Health Checks
Today’s employees don’t always work onsite, and often collaborate over distances using personal devices like smartphones and tablets. By conducting automated health checks of your email network, you can identify any irregularities, including potentially problematic areas, such as end user devices with weak security settings. You can even conduct regular penetration tests to see how your system reacts to an invader. This can be useful in pinpointing and reinforcing “soft spots” in your cyber-defenses.
Use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
MFA goes beyond username + password security to deliver an additional layer of protection. There are three types of authentication factors that a user may employ to access a secure site or web page: knowledge factors (such as a password or ID question); possession factors (such as a one-time password or security token); and inherence factors (such as voice or fingerprint recognition).
Possession factors may be either material (like a fob or keycard) or virtual (like a one-time password), whereas inherence factors focus on biometric factors such as voice recognition, retinal scanning, fingerprint scanning, or facial recognition. By combining these factors, you’re likely to block or discourage the vast majority of cybercriminals and scammers.
Adopt Security Tools Users Like
Few things are more difficult than trying to enforce compliance with security protocols that users dislike. Users may find some security tools cumbersome, confusing, or time consuming, which can result in reluctance among users to adopt the new practice. Noncompliance, even on a small scale, can leave your company vulnerable to penetration by phishing scams and hackers. So take some time reviewing security products before you buy. Observe them in action and ask about user experience with these tools before you onboard them. A system everyone likes will be one everyone is more likely to use.
At Iconic Technologies, we’ve spent years studying the way companies like yours protect their electronic communications, and our skilled team members are well equipped to help you make informed choices about the email security products you purchase and use. Contact us today, and discover how Iconic Technologies can provide you with the efficient, cost-effective email security solutions you need.
Interested in learning more? Contact one of our representatives today!
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!