Every day, over 200 billion emails are sent worldwide, and some of them contain sensitive corporate information. Email communication is a basic tool in the modern corporate environment that allows for more effective communication and planning. It is targeted by hackers because of the ability to access sensitive information in one place - company or personal.

How easy is someone's email hacked? Easier than you think. The online space is full of "tips" even for people without technical experience, and in specialized forums you can find detailed information and literal instructions. From the early 1990s, when the first case of email spam appeared, until today, this communication channel has been exposed to the most attacks. This is the reason why companies allocate a significant part of their IT budgets precisely to ensure the security of this channel.

If you need advice and a reliable IT partner in providing email protection, now is the time contact us. the team of Geletron has selected for you basic tips that you should apply in the context of your organization's rules, and some of them - also in relation to your personal correspondence.

People come first

The human factor is the leading part of the mix of measures to protect your company's email system. An investment in training to build healthy computer habits increases security when exchanging data via e-mail. Train employees. Remember that the weakest and at the same time the strongest link in any security system are people.

The password is the key to the information

A password is a necessity when communicating via e-mail. Its reliability is the first step in security measures.

We advise you to use strong passwords that are unique - the complex combination of numbers, letters and symbols is almost impossible to guess. Think about what people know about you - date of birth, hometown, school, university, brand name, pet's name - and never use it as a password. Avoid simple letter substitutions.

If you're careful enough, the only way a hacker can figure out your password is to use specialized software that rotates through millions of combinations. However, the more complex the password, the longer it takes the software to recognize it. Passwords that are strong enough take years to crack.

A strong password contains:

• minimum 10 characters for human-set passwords
• minimum 8 characters for machine-generated passwords
• combination of upper and lower case letters
• numbers and special characters
• random numbers and letters, not words
• rather phrases, rather than words (eg "Thebookwormlivesatthelibrary")
• limit of 5 attempts to enter a password, etc.

Is your password strong enough? Check it out.

Two-step authentication

Two-factor authentication (or multifactor) is one of the best ways to protect the email, social media account, or web application you use. It is useful when working with any cloud storage service. Two-factor authentication is offered as an option by the email platform you use. Specialized software can also be downloaded for this purpose.

Even if a hacker is able to guess or extract the passwords from an account, with two-factor authentication, they will still need a code to receive the messages. This code is usually sent to the phone via text message. Don't make the mistake of setting it to receive on the computer.

Email safety in the cloud

Many companies use cloud-based email services because they don't require server maintenance, allow for easier disaster recovery, offer access from any device, and improve collaboration. What's more, cloud security is a cost-effective means of reducing spam, depending on who the provider is. To reduce spam, cloud providers typically use RBL and SURBL filters that compare incoming IP addresses against blacklists. Cloud email security provides IT departments with customization options. For example, spam thresholds can be adjusted and adaptive spam filtering applied.

Firewalls

Firewalls help protect systems from external threats. This can be useful if a malicious link sent via email tries to download or run a program. Email firewalls regulate what mail is allowed through and mark certain content as spam based on a list of rules in the email server. The email firewall communicates with other servers, alerting them if spam has been sent or if it is already in the system. Geletron can offer you reliable solutions.

Beware of phishing emails

Phishing is, unfortunately, a working concept for misappropriating information from emails and accounts. It works like this – the hacker sends emails that contain a link to a site you know. Clicking on the link takes you to this exact site, which is actually fake. Often this is a space resembling the site of a bank or other serious organization. You enter your email address and password to log into your account and that's how they reach the hacker. Keep in mind that phishing attacks are already sophisticated and difficult to detect. Practically, anyone can go astray if they are lost in the routine of their usual duties.

Do not open attachments that have not been scanned

The attached file is not a problem if you expect it or it is another exchange of information with your colleagues, clients, friends. When an email comes from an unknown source and contains attachments, take a good look before opening. In such cases, it helps to invest in antivirus and anti-malware email protection software to scan all correspondence, as well as apply advanced spam filters. If the program identifies a problem, you can delete the message, block the sender and protect your system. In this way, you can also prevent a subsequent breach of data security.

Some of the best virus screening solutions will scan all incoming emails. The software notifies when risks are identified. Users of hosted email services know that the provider follows the same cloud security procedure and notifies suspicious incoming mail.

Company email addresses are not for personal messages

This is a surefire way to limit the chances of hackers accessing your email. Many companies allow their employees to use company communication systems to communicate with friends, shop online or do anything that is not related to the work process. This is a great way to support the balance between personal and professional life, but before that you should have thought about a complete, multifaceted, integrated system that covers all communication channels. If employees need to access personal accounts during the workday, encourage them to do so through their smartphones and mobile internet. Do not allow a smartphone to connect to the WiFi system in the office. To make sure the team approaches this rule with understanding, consider training. Find out about popular practices here.

Robust spam filter

One of the best things about cloud-based email services these days is that they usually come with excellent spam filters.

In fact, even Google through their Gmail service manages to remove most unwanted messages from our inbox. Make sure you have your spam filter turned on or check with a provider. Filters have a setting to block all emails that contain specific words or phrases. This can be useful if you know about some scams that are current because you can block most keywords. This prevents you from accidentally opening a spam email that contains malware.

Do not click on the "unsubscribe" link in spam emails

Let's assume that an email managed to get through the spam filter and anti-virus programs. You open the message and then discover that it looks like a phishing scam or something. There is an unsubscribe link at the bottom of the page to prevent further emails from the unwanted source. Don't do it. Mark the message as spam so that it is included in the spam filter, and then delete it.

These are just some of the popular practices to greatly limit the risk of your mail being "hacked". There are, of course, many more possible scenarios for this. After all, there's no way to fully protect your email. Applying this general information, however, may make you feel objectively safer. Apply it! Even if your mail doesn't contain that much sensitive information, nobody likes uninvited guests, even in their virtual world, right?