It has been almost two decades or maybe a little more than that since email entered the internet world. Email boosted up the communication game and made it easier for people in and out of the business globe to send in important details and discuss anything, from anywhere around the world. It specifically revolutionized the business world amazingly. However, with the rise of cybercrime, email security has become more important than ever.
Emails have been used professionally by millions of people around the world daily. However, with time, this blessing started to become a threat too. As everything in the world of the internet and technology is vulnerable, so is email as well, especially the email attachments we can see on the majority of emails. The vulnerability of threat that is now faced by emails, has raised a huge concern about email security.
Common Threat Types for Email Security
Before digging into the details of how you can save yourself from the possible dangers of email attachments, you need to know some basic types of malicious email threats that we all are vulnerable to.
- Ransom: Ransom is one of the most common types of threat and it is delivered via email, most of the time. Through ransom, the data of the victim is hacked and the hacker then demands a proper fee from the victim if they want their data back.
- Phishing: Phishing is an email threat through which the criminal sends in a link or attachment that requires login details and then that information is used for malicious purposes. Such emails are usually personified as normal individuals or companies that seem trustworthy and a lot of people simply open the mail and go on with signing up too.
- Spam: Although various ways have been created for filtering out unwanted spam messages, the challenge of spam seems to be never-ending. Ordinary spam is nothing but nonsense but a lot of spam is capable of delivering malware too.
Email Security Tactics Every User Should Know
The above-mentioned dangers of email attachments are just the most common ones that people face on a daily routine basis. However, there is a long list of ways through which your emails can be carrying malware and other dangers like ransom, etc.
Anyways, to help you stay safe and ensure email security, we have listed together some helpful email security tactics for you all. These will help you identify danger and dump it before getting your hands deep into the issue. Let’s dig into these!
1. CHECK THE SENDER
People who run businesses, usually receive emails daily from different people. They need to open and check it anyhow. However, while a phishing scam takes place, the name of the sender usually resembles a name that you might know. Even if it does not resemble, an entrepreneur has to open it anyway. You might think that there is no way out of the mess here, but there is. You need to check the sender’s email address. Very odd emails show that the mail is a scam. Also, you don’t have to open up every email. If you are not responding and it is a very important email, the company might ring you up. If you feel that the email is a scam; you better go with your gut instinct.
2.THE MESSAGE INSIDE THE EMAIL
A lot of times, you know the sender and you have been waiting for an email. Sometimes, you just go with the flow and decide to open the email and check what is inside. But before you click on the attachment and decide to read through whatever is mentioned inside, there are some things that you can see to make sure that you are not digging your fingers in danger. You should check the following things to ensure your email security:
- The email subject line holds a lot of importance. If there is no email subject line, you probably don’t want to go into it. If the email says “invoice” make sure that you check your online buying history. Have you ordered anything recently? If yes, you can go on with checking the email and email attachments. However, if you have not ordered anything, you need to make sure that you don’t open the mail and mark it as trash right away.
- Email messages which lack proper details are definitively phishing emails. People who great email with “HI” usually are also scams. If the email has no company details mentioned or a proper introduction of what the email is about, you must not consider it.
3. DIGITAL SIGNATURE EMAIL
People who communicate on corporate levels need to check for digital signatures in the email. If you think that the email you have received, is from a company, then before opening the attachments, look for the company’s digital signature at the end of the mail. If the mail is through Microsoft Outlook, a red ribbon is seen in the message which indicates that it has been sent by a company.
4. CHECK THE EMAIL LINKS
Once you have verified everything inside the mail, you can open the link and check it. By now, if everything has been okay and you have a digital signature, a proper subject line, and the company’s logo mentioned too, it means that you are good to go and there is no scam involved. But you never do know; so it is important to check the link too. Hover your mouse on the attachment and you will see the destination address. If the destination address is leading you toward anything suspicious then it simply indicates that the link contains a virus ransom or any sort of scam. It is better that you trash the mail right away and do not open the link.
Conclusion
Emails have certainly made life easier and quicker. It has revolutionized the way business is done and over time, it has become a gateway towards zillions of opportunities. However, with the advancements, it has also grown vulnerable to scams and other threats, making email security a top priority for individuals and businesses alike. By using these simple email security tips that have been mentioned above, you can ensure security for yourself and your business data. Make sure that you check the little details and stay safe. All it takes is a minute or two and you will be able to save yourself from danger.
