What is Email Security?

Email security is a set of procedures and technologies that protect email accounts from unauthorized access, compromise, and financial loss.

With over 4.3 billion people using email globally, it is the most widely used form of business communication. Unfortunately, this also makes it the most popular target for cybercriminals. Criminals target email because it is often an organization’s most vulnerable entry point, and there are millions of email users to manipulate into revealing sensitive or confidential information.

The Verizon 2024 Data Breach Report found that 68% of data breaches were caused by human error, such as a person falling victim to social engineering. With rising social engineering incidents and other cyber threats, such as phishing, malware, and account takeovers, email security is more critical than ever.

This essential guide highlights the most common types of email threats. We also discuss the crucial security features, procedures, and services that safeguard your email accounts against costly data breaches.

11 Common Email Security Threats

Modern businesses face a barrage of email threats, from data breaches to malicious software and social engineering. These threats are evolving constantly and becoming more sophisticated and targeted.

Here are the 11 most common ways email breaches endanger your valuable, sensitive data and business operations.

1. Phishing

A phishing attack takes place every minute of every day. Phishing emails pretend to come from a trusted source and aim to convince recipients to click on links or open attachments that automatically download malware onto the user’s device.

This type of attack could also prompt the user to enter sensitive information, which the fraudster can then exploit to steal data, perpetrate identity theft, or probe deeper into the company’s networks.

2. Spear phishing

While phishing emails are usually sent in bulk, spear phishing specifically exploits an individual or small group. Spear phishing may use highly personal information obtained from the victim’s social media accounts to convey trust. However, the goal is the same – to manipulate the victim into sharing valuable information or unknowingly downloading malware.

3. Quishing

Quishing is a type of phishing designed to dupe victims into scanning a QR code in an email. Scanning the QR routes the victim to a phishing site created to steal login credentials or spread malware. Quishing is particularly dangerous because the content of a QR code is not visible until scanned. This makes it more difficult to intercept the malicious link.

4. Malware

Malware (malicious software) is harmful software designed to infiltrate and damage computer systems. Malware is spread widely and easily over email, concealed within attachments or links. Once launched, malware can steal sensitive data, encrypt files, or allow hackers unauthorized access to the larger network. Common malware includes viruses, worms, spyware, Trojans, and ransomware.

5. Ransomware

As one of the most common types of malware, ransomware is software that encrypts files or systems until a ransom is paid. Ransomware is typically embedded in a malicious link or file attachment. Once opened, the ransomware is downloaded and executed, encrypting the user’s files. The criminals then demand payment for the decryption key.

6. Social engineering

Social engineering refers to targeted approaches to manipulate people into divulging confidential information or acting in ways that harm the organization (and benefit the fraudster). Criminals present themselves online as trusted individuals. Once they have deceived company employees, they gain access to sensitive data, systems, or money.

7. Business email compromise (BEC)

BEC is an attack where criminals convincingly impersonate trusted company officials like executives or partners to deceive email recipients. A successful BEC operation manipulates victims into sharing sensitive information or even wiring company money to the criminals.

8. Vendor email compromise (VEC)

VEC aims to infiltrate vendors or suppliers. If attackers can manipulate the vendor’s email, they can use this trusted address to infiltrate your organization. They can further exploit the situation by sending you fraudulent invoices or altering payee details on invoices.

9. Denial of Service (DDoS)

DDoS attacks send large volumes of emails and other electronic communications to crash your company’s servers and interrupt normal service. The motive for the attack might be extortion, consumer protest, or to cause reputational damage and financial loss. Often, DDoS operations are used as a diversion while hackers execute a separate assault.

10. Account takeover (ATO)

Account takeover occurs when hackers obtain the login authentications for an email account and take it over, operating it for fraudulent purposes. Presenting themselves as the rightful account holder, they can email contacts requesting them to share information or click on harmful links. They may also abuse their control to launch further attacks within a larger network.

11. Data exfiltration

Data exfiltration refers to stealing sensitive information by breaching an organization’s email system. Phishing, malware operations, or insider actions are deployed to heist valuable data such as intellectual property, financial details, or client information.

Types of Email Security Services

From encryption to secure gateways and integrated cloud security, there are a number of email security services that can help prevent common email threats.

Let’s take a look at the seven most widely deployed email security services.

Secure Email Gateway (SEG)

A Secure Email Gateway is the most common email security measure that guards your network’s perimeter. SEGs scan emails and attachments, checking for indicators of harmful intent such as phishing patterns and malware signatures. Potentially harmful messages are blocked from entering your organization or routed into quarantine. As a result, it prevents threats like phishing, malware, and spam.

Email encryption services

Email encryption services protect your email messages by employing encryption to make them unreadable by unauthorized parties. Only the intended recipients with the right decryption key can convert the email into a readable format to view the contents.

Email Data Protection (EDP)

Email data protection (EDP) secures emails against loss, unauthorized access, or compromise. EDPs leverage advanced threat detection and scanning, as well as encryption and SEGs. Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is also often incorporated.

DLP features monitor and control inbound and outbound emails to mitigate risk and ensure compliance with company policies and data protection laws.

API-based protection

Modern email security services often use Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that integrate with cloud email services like Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. This integration with other security tools and services is what fortifies your security shield. The result is enhanced threat intelligence and more proactive email security than traditional secure email gateways.

Sender authentication

Sender authentication services verify the sender to confirm the origin and legitimacy of email messages. The main protocols of sender authentication are:

Sender Policy Framework (SPF): These protocols allow the receiving server to check official SPF records to validate that the sending IP is legitimate.
DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM): DKIM adds a digital signature to emails to confirm that the message has not been forged or altered.
Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC): DMARC builds on SPF and DKIM and enables domain owners to set policies for handling emails that fail authentication checks.

Integrated Cloud Email Security (ICES)

Cloud email providers like Google and Microsoft offer integrated security features. These built-in features can detect viruses, phishing attacks, and other threats. Besides blocking malicious content and providing security recommendations, they can also detect compromised accounts. ICES tends to reduce reliance on SEGs.

AI-powered email security

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are increasingly deployed in email security environments. AI’s ability to swiftly analyze large data volumes enables security services to automate threat detection, flagging malicious email messages with speed and precision.

Large language models can analyze language to identify patterns and usage commonly found in phishing campaigns (e.g. creating urgency and psychological manipulation terms). AI is powerfully used for behavioral analysis, identifying suspicious emailing patterns and behaviors.

Key Features of Email Security Services

A comprehensive email security solution protects your business against dynamic, often sophisticated, and wide-ranging threats to your email system.

The key features and benefits of effective email security include:

Spam or phishing filters: At a minimum, email security should intercept and junk or quarantine unhelpful and potentially dangerous spam.
Image and content control: These features analyze attachments and scan embedded images and content for malware and prevent them from being downloaded.
Quishing prevention: More advanced security solutions include the capability to detect and block sophisticated OR-code-based attacks.
Real-time threat detection: Real-time monitoring and protection detect threats as they occur, allowing for a real-time response to limit damage.
Robust reporting tools: High-level reporting ensures that suspicious email activity is swiftly detected and precisely reported to prompt urgent remedial action.
Sender authentication: Sender authentication features incorporating SPF, DKIM, and DMARC protocols contribute significantly to effective email security.
Behavior analysis: Tools like large language models (LLMs) are capable of detecting behaviors and patterns that may indicate an email breach attempt.
AI and Machine Learning: Sophisticated AI and machine learning tools allow email security solutions to adapt continuously to emerging threats.
Flexibility and scalability: Flexibility enables your email security to keep pace with your evolving business needs (e.g. adding users, implementing a Unified Communications platform, or migrating your email to the cloud).
URL rewriting: This feature modifies URLs in emails to redirect users to a security service, allowing for the URL to be checked for malicious content before page access is permitted (assuming the URL is safe).
Advanced file unpacking: Some advanced features can investigate URLs and attachments in-depth, probing through several levels to hunt for complex evasive malware.

8 Ways to Secure Your Email

There are several important actions you can take to secure your email system and protect sensitive data. Some of these measures are common sense practices while others involve specialized technology. Securing your email robustly involves people, policies, and technology.

1. Employee training

Security awareness training is usually part of onboarding and should ideally be delivered on an ongoing basis. You want to ensure employees understand and follow email security best practices, such as:

Not clicking on links from unknown senders.
Being wary of unexpected or unsolicited attachments.
Avoiding public Wi-Fi for work communications.
Not using personal email accounts for business communications.

Regular employee education promotes awareness of the latest scams, phishing attacks, BECs, and more advanced tactics. For example, advanced social engineering operations include befriending a potential victim on their personal social media accounts as part of a long-game strategy to compromise the individual and organization.

2. Multifactor authentication (MFA)

Multifactor authentication requires users to pass at least two verification steps to access their accounts. This protocol requires users to enter a password and supply a second-layer verification (e.g., smartphone confirmation or biometric data), adding a crucial extra layer of protection. It’s crucial to implement MFA across all company email accounts.

3. Robust password policy

A strong password alone doesn’t guarantee security, but it is a fundamental tenet of IT security. A secure password policy demands complex passwords without easily discernible patterns. Passwords should be changed regularly, and the same password shouldn’t be used for different accounts.

4. Email encryption

Use encryption to secure critical and sensitive data. Encryption ensures that unauthorized individuals can’t read your confidential files if your emails are intercepted. While this isn’t practical for every email, it’s advisable when transferring valuable financial data, personal details, or proprietary business information.

5. Back up critical files

Sender authentication services verify the sBacking up critical files is an essential business practice. Regular backups ensure that important files can be restored if they are lost or compromised due to infection by ransomware, worms, or viruses.ender to confirm the origin and legitimacy of email messages. The main protocols of sender authentication are:

6. Apply software updates

Software updates and patching help close vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit through email. Ensuring your email systems and their security features are up to date protects against the latest phishing scams, malware, and other evolving email threats.

7. Keep business and personal emails separate

Using a business email for personal interests (e.g. signing up for a newsletter or online purchases) exposes the company to unwanted networks. It opens the gateway to spam and potentially more directed attacks. Practice a strict policy that keeps business and personal email activities separate.

8. Frequent security monitoring

The cyber threat landscape changes constantly. Cybercriminals have developed new email attack methods and different tools. Against this backdrop, you should monitor email traffic regularly to flag activities that may indicate an emerging threat. Here, AI will play an increasingly important role.

How Homefield IT Can Help You With Email Security

Homefield IT provides exceptional enterprise-grade digital security to businesses in New York and across the country. Our comprehensive IT security service is one reason we enjoy a 4.9-star Google review rating.

We work with you to develop an email security solution tailored to your specific systems and business needs. When partnering with Homefield IT, expect forward-focused email security that fortifies your defenses. Our services include:

Protection from phishing attacks, malware, spam, and account takeover.
Advanced filtering systems to block malicious links and other dangerous software.
Robust email encryption protocols.
User education that empowers your team to become experts at detecting email threats.
Best practice policies to create a security-conscious culture at your organization.
Advanced AI and ML tools to analyze email data and identify threat patterns in language and behaviors.
Automated threat detection to highlight anomalies in your email system quickly and accurately.
Support with regular monitoring of your system.

We deliver a premium security service to organizations of all sizes and across multiple industries. Our email security is part of a full-service security offering, including:

Let us help you ensure that no single email account in your organization is compromised by malicious threats targeting business emails

Reach out to learn more.

FAQ’s

Why is email security important?

Cybercriminals attack email accounts around the clock, and this threat is rising. Securing your email accounts is vital to protecting your organization’s attack surface from email-delivered dangers, such as phishing, spam, and malware. Email attacks try to gain unauthorized access to your network to steal sensitive information and cause damage or financial loss.

What are the most common types of email attacks?

Phishing and malware attacks are the most common types of email threats. Business Email Compromise (BEC) and Vendor Email Compromise (VEC) are growing threats, while human error contributes to a high percentage of email security breaches. Human error often involves employees being tricked into exposing sensitive information and files.

What are examples of email security?

Common examples of email security include:

Secure Email Gateways
Cloud-Based Email Security Solutions
Email Data Protection (EDP)
Email Encryption Services
AI-Powered Email Security Services
API-Based Protection

Contact Homefield IT About Your Email Security Today

Don’t let attacks breach your email defenses and cause major disruption to your larger networks and other online services.

Our comprehensive security services robustly protect you against the risks of email-based attacks.

Contact Homefield IT today

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