Despite its many vulnerabilities and the wide range of new technology available, email continues to remain the communication method of choice for many companies. With an understanding of email being an inescapable correspondence option for modern enterprises and its inherent cybersecurity weaknesses, all firms are advised to take every precaution possible.
With a slew of data breaches, hacked email accounts and email phishing schemes already adorning the headlines this year, read on for the best practices your enterprise or organisation should adhere to in 2022.
Cybersecurity awareness training
Make sure all staff understand the security risks related to email use from day one. By starting at the onboarding process, you can drill the importance of being cyber-aware into employees and educate them on potential risks.
Conduct phishing tests on staff and train them to identify these malicious emails. Ensure they are aware of the consequences of clicking on a link that might reroute them to a phishing page where their credentials can be stolen, or of downloading a document that may be full of malware.
Staff must know who to report attacks and potential data breaches to, and should always feel confident to do so.
Enhancing email access security
Never let your employees select a password of their own or give them the ability to alter those issued. By picking passwords on their behalf, you can make certain they are strong enough to keep cybercriminals out of accounts.
If you are concerned that they won’t remember complex passwords, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) advises you combine three-word passwords. This type of credential is also easier to recall, yet very tough to crack because of its length. Never use the same password for multiple accounts.
Add multifactor authentication (MFA) to all email accounts. Unless an attacker has access to both the user’s device and smartphone, they will not be able to infiltrate the account.
Control email account use
In this era of flexible working, many enterprise teams are operating remotely, often from their own devices. Wherever possible, company equipment should be issued to home workers. At the very least, staff must never be allowed to use company email accounts for personal email, or employ their personal email accounts to send messages containing company information.
Employ encryption
The most important solution companies can adopt in 2022 to improve email security is to use encryption software. Whether an email containing confidential data is sent in error to the wrong recipient or an email account is penetrated by an unauthorised actor, if the content contained with the messages involved is not encrypted, these incidents involved serious data breach. However, if all emails stored or sent are encrypted, all information is protected from prying eyes.
Along with delivering a powerful email encryption solution, Galaxkey’s secure workspace offers enterprise teams a selection of tools to safeguard their use email. From email time out and email recall to electronic signatures to verify recipient identity, staff will have all the options they need to operate securely.
Contact us today for a free 14-day trial.
