Email is a major communications channel for most businesses. However, many of them make little effort to protect e-mail. It includes both authentication (authentication of who opens the account and sending messages) and the security of the messages themselves (filtering and encryption).
Five ways to protect e-mail in the office
Encrypt messages:
Email communication can be encrypted in two ways. One is with SSL (there are still companies that use webmail without SSL certificate) that encrypts emails on their way to their recipient. This prevents the “eavesdropping” of communication.
An additional level of protection provides end-to-end encryption. Messages are encrypted with public and private keys and can only be read by users holding the key.
Content filtering:
Much of the content you receive on your email is unwanted. Spam, phishing, scams, malware links: all this is a threat to your information security and should be filtered out. You can filter incoming mail by type of attachment to reduce the likelihood of malware infection.
More and more companies are also filtering the text content of the letters themselves. This ensures that sensitive data such as bank accounts or confidential information will not leave the company boundaries.
Email Identification :
Email spoofing is very easy to achieve. It is the basis of the so-called. Business Email Fraud. To avoid them, use authentication methods to prove that your letters have really been sent by you.
Two of the most popular are the DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) SPF (Sender Policy Framework), which identifies the identity of the sender. They are embedded in most email security software solutions.
Two-factor authentication:
Your username and password are the primary protection of your e-mail. If anyone understands them, this defense is useless. That’s why you can use two-factor authentication to better protect your account.
The two-phase protection is triggered when the access password is already entered. The account owner receives a one-time code (it can receive it as SMS, via a mobile application, or be generated by a dongle). Only after the code has been entered, the user receives access to the mail.
Software Protection:
Email communication protection requires a regular update of the software you use. This means updating not only your antivirus program but also your operating system.
Do not overlook the update of the internet browser you are checking your mail. This reduces the chances of someone accessing your e-mail.
