One of the earliest forms of cybercrime, email phishing dates back to the 1990s, when email began to take off. Three decades later, email phishing is still a threat to businesses and is on the rise.
Many companies are now dependent on their employees’ personal laptops and home internet due to the remote work culture. These internet connections and devices leave business networks open to attack, especially through compromised emails, because they lack advanced cyber protection.
The rise in email phishing
The Covid-19 pandemic and the trend toward a remote workforce have both contributed to an increase in email phishing in recent years. Hackers can easily access employee accounts if their laptop is stolen or lost.
Other employees can easily become the target of email phishing by receiving emails that appear to be coming from a legitimate account. The prevalence of ransomware attacks, data breaches, or even full-blown distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, means that even one compromised email can have a catastrophic effect on a large enterprise.
Effects of email phishing on businesses
An Interpol report released in October 2021 states that business email compromise (BEC) is still a major threat. Phishing emails are among the most prevalent attacks that businesses encounter, underscoring the need for enhanced email security.
For hackers, email is an easy access point. From there, hackers can access corporate networks and disrupt the digital infrastructure of a company. Businesses are vulnerable to attack because of unmonitored emails and inadequately trained employees. Robust email security is the first step in safeguarding digital assets.
Train employees to detect and avoid email phishing
Employees may become complacent as they try to quickly clear their inbox as a result of an increase in email volume. They should be provided with regular staff training sessions that teach them how to identify phishing attempts. These programs should include formal or random testing, as well as one-on-one or group training sessions.
Awareness-building around brand spoofing or impersonation techniques is crucial. Emails should be handled carefully by employees, especially if they demand urgent changes to account details or fund transfers. Nearly half of all phishing attacks use brand spoofing and impersonation.
Most anti-virus software can alert users to suspicious files and most people are now aware of the risks of downloading an attachment from an unknown sender. However, it shouldn’t be assumed that staff members are able to identify spam or phishing emails. Regular reviews of security protocols are necessary. Email security policies should cover issues like password guidelines, using secure networks, device policies, and what to do if they inadvertently become the target of an attack.
Updates to email security are essential
Cybercrime has become more and more commercialised in recent years. Anyone with an internet connection and criminal intent can now easily launch a cyberattack due to phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) and ransomware-as-a-service.
Hackers circumvent traditional security tools. These days, cybercriminals are able to bypass signature-based defenses and go through trusted sites. Employees struggle to detect email-borne attacks as a result. Large enterprises leave themselves open to a cyber attack by not using advanced email protection.
Advanced email protection
When it comes to email security for companies, be sure to choose a trusted IT security provider, such as SEACOM Business, that can provide advanced email protection. Companies benefit from automated protection that utilises global threat intelligence.
In order to stop hackers from spoofing domains and organisations, many email security companies offer solutions like domain-based message authentication, reporting and conformance (DMARC) email authentication. These advanced systems will ensure complete protection and help to minimise the chances of a phishing attempt on employees.
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