What Are the Most Common Email Security Threats?

In 2024, email continues to be one of the most common targets for cyber attacks, with a staggering 94% of all malware being delivered via email. While emails are a critical tool for communication, they also present significant security risks. Attackers use sophisticated techniques to exploit email systems, leading to financial loss, data breaches, and reputational damage. Understanding the most common email security threats and implementing secure email practices is essential to preventing cyber attacks.

How Secure Is Email?

Despite numerous cybersecurity best practices, email is still not entirely secure. Email systems can be vulnerable to a wide range of attacks, from phishing to malware, because they were never designed with robust security in mind. Without proper protections in place, emails can be intercepted, modified, or used to distribute malicious content. Even with modern security enhancements like encryption, attackers continue to find ways to bypass defenses and target users through malicious emails.

Why Is Email Security Important?

Email serves as the primary communication tool for businesses and individuals alike, making it a high-value target for cybercriminals. Unsecured email systems can expose your organization to a range of cybersecurity threats, including phishing attacks, ransomware, and data leaks. This can lead to the loss of sensitive information, compliance violations, financial harm, and significant damage to your company's reputation. Strengthening email security helps ensure the integrity of your communications and protects your business from costly incidents.

7 Biggest Threats to Email Security

1. Domain Squatting (Cybersquatting)

Domain squatting, also known as cybersquatting, occurs when attackers register domain names that closely resemble legitimate ones to deceive users. This technique is often used to impersonate trusted organizations and send fraudulent emails. For example, an attacker might register a domain like "micosoft.com" to impersonate Microsoft and send phishing emails to unsuspecting recipients.

Cybersquatting is particularly dangerous because it exploits the trust users place in familiar domains. Once users believe they are interacting with a legitimate source, they are more likely to open malicious attachments or provide sensitive information. Monitoring for suspicious domain registrations and implementing domain protection measures can help defend against this threat.

2. Phishing Attacks

Phishing attacks are one of the most prevalent email security threats. Cybercriminals use phishing emails to trick recipients into revealing personal information, clicking on malicious links, or downloading malware. These attacks often impersonate well-known brands or urgent messages to manipulate victims into acting without thinking.

As phishing techniques become more sophisticated, it's essential to raise awareness within your organization. Attackers may now use quishing—QR code phishing—as well as traditional methods. Training employees to recognize phishing attempts and using anti-phishing software are key strategies in preventing cyber attacks.

Learn more about the rise of phishing in this detailed article on phishing email examples.

3. Malicious Attachments

Malicious attachments are another major concern for email security. Malicious attachments can disguise themselves as legitimate files such as PDFs, Word documents, or Excel sheets. Once opened, they can install malware like trojans, ransomware, or spyware on the user's device, compromising sensitive data and potentially infecting the entire network.

Organizations should implement tools that scan incoming attachments for malicious content and educate employees about the dangers of opening unsolicited attachments.

4. Ransomware

Ransomware attacks continue to rise, with email being one of the most common vectors for delivering this devastating malware. Ransomware encrypts a victim’s files and demands a ransom payment to unlock them. In many cases, victims lose critical data and face extended downtime.

The increasing frequency and sophistication of ransomware attacks make them a significant threat to businesses of all sizes. Defending against ransomware requires a multi-layered approach, including strong email security, regular backups, and employee training.

For a deeper dive into ransomware, check out the Petya ransomware attack case.

5. Business Email Compromise (BEC)

Business Email Compromise (BEC) is a type of scam where attackers impersonate executives or trusted partners to trick employees into transferring funds or sharing confidential information. BEC attacks are highly targeted and often lack the usual signs of a phishing attack, such as malicious links or attachments.

Since BEC attacks are usually well-researched and personalized, they can be difficult to detect. Employees should be trained to verify any unusual requests for money or sensitive information, particularly when they appear to come from senior management.

6. Data Leakage

Data leakage can occur when sensitive information is accidentally sent to the wrong recipient or shared with unauthorized individuals. Email is often the culprit in data leaks, especially when employees are not trained in proper data handling practices. In some cases, cybercriminals may also exploit email vulnerabilities to exfiltrate valuable data.

Preventing data leaks requires enforcing strict email security policies, including encryption for sensitive emails and continuous monitoring for suspicious activity.

For more insights on how to safeguard your data, read about data leak prevention tools.

7. File Format Exploits

Attackers frequently exploit vulnerabilities in popular file formats such as PDFs and Word documents to deliver malware. These files may contain malicious code that activates when opened, leading to the infection of the user’s device or network. Many traditional antivirus solutions struggle to detect these threats, especially when attackers use new or modified exploits.

Keeping software up to date and limiting the types of file attachments allowed in your email system are important steps in mitigating this risk.

Top 10 Email Security Measures for Your Organization

To protect against the growing range of email security threats, organizations need to adopt a proactive approach by implementing secure email practices. Here are the top 10 email security measures every business should put in place:

1. Secure Email with Sender Authentication Techniques

Implementing email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is critical in verifying the legitimacy of email senders. These protocols help prevent spoofing and domain impersonation, significantly reducing the risk of phishing and business email compromise (BEC).

By setting up these protocols, your email system will reject fraudulent emails from unverified sources, protecting your organization from becoming a victim of cybersquatting or impersonation attacks. For more on this, learn how quishing exploits vulnerabilities in email systems.

2. Filter Out Spam and Block Unwanted Email Addresses

Deploying advanced spam filters is essential for minimizing the volume of unsolicited emails. Spam filters can block emails that contain suspicious links or attachments, decreasing the chances of your employees interacting with phishing emails, malware, or other harmful content.

Blocking unwanted addresses can also help prevent ongoing phishing attacks and ransomware attempts. Regularly updating your spam filter and configuring it to catch the latest email threats can bolster your organization’s defenses against email-based cyberattacks.

3. Exercise Caution with Email Attachments and Avoid Clicking Links

One of the most common email security threats comes from malicious attachments and links. Employees should be trained to exercise extreme caution when opening email attachments, especially if the email is unexpected or from an unfamiliar sender. Malicious attachments often carry malware, which can infect an entire network once opened.

Establishing policies for email usage, such as regularly scanning attachments and blocking certain file types, will help your business avoid costly mistakes. For additional protection, regularly train staff on how to identify and avoid phishing schemes by using resources like this guide on phishing email examples.

4. Create Strong, Unique Passwords for Each Email Account

Using strong passwords is a basic yet essential part of email security. Weak or reused passwords are an open invitation for cybercriminals to gain unauthorized access to email accounts. Encourage employees to use unique, complex passwords for each account, combining uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.

For further protection, consider using password management tools to store and generate strong passwords, reducing the likelihood of a data breach due to compromised credentials. Learn why password protection intelligence is a critical aspect of email security.

5. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication for Added Security

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds a vital extra layer of security to email accounts by requiring a secondary form of verification, such as a one-time code sent to a mobile device, before access is granted. Even if an attacker compromises a user’s password, MFA acts as an additional barrier, making it significantly harder for unauthorized users to gain access.

MFA is one of the most effective methods to secure your business from phishing attacks and credential theft. For example, MFA can mitigate the risk of business email compromise (BEC), a fast-growing email threat.

6. Maintain Separate Accounts for Personal and Business Emails

Keeping personal and business emails separate is an often overlooked but important security practice. Using a business email account solely for work purposes helps protect sensitive company data and reduces the risk of cross-contamination. If a personal email account is compromised, it could lead to security risks for business accounts if both are intertwined.

Adopting this approach can help businesses avoid security incidents resulting from personal data leaks, reducing the overall risk of email-based threats.

7. Steer Clear of Public Wi-Fi for Email Access

Public Wi-Fi networks are often insecure, making them a favorite tool for cybercriminals to intercept data transmitted over the network, including email communications. Encourage employees to avoid accessing email accounts over public Wi-Fi, or at the very least, to use a virtual private network (VPN) for a secure connection.

Public Wi-Fi risks include exposure to man-in-the-middle attacks that can steal email login credentials or sensitive information.

8. Regularly Back Up Essential Email Data

Data loss can happen for a variety of reasons, from ransomware to accidental deletion. Regularly backing up essential email data ensures that your organization can recover critical information in the event of an attack or a data breach.

Having multiple backup copies in secure locations helps safeguard your organization’s continuity in the face of cyber threats. Backup strategies also ensure compliance with data protection regulations, reducing the financial and reputational impact of data loss. For an understanding of how ransomware and data breaches affect businesses, explore how the Petya ransomware attack impacted organizations globally.

9. Educate Staff on the Importance of Email Security

Continuous security awareness training for employees is essential to staying ahead of cyber threats. Human error remains one of the biggest vulnerabilities in any organization, and email is a prime target. Regularly educating staff on phishing techniques, ransomware, and other emerging threats can dramatically reduce the likelihood of an attack succeeding.

Awareness training should include how to identify phishing emails, avoid malicious attachments, and follow best practices for safe email use. For more tips, check out our article on effective email security training.

10. Implement a Comprehensive Email Security Solution

Using an integrated email security solution that includes spam filtering, malware detection, encryption, and phishing protection is one of the most comprehensive ways to safeguard your email systems. These tools can automatically block or quarantine suspicious emails before they reach users, minimizing the risk of cyberattacks.

Solutions like Keepnet's email security platform provide multi-layered defenses, enabling organizations to prevent, detect, and respond to a wide range of email security threats. For a complete security approach, explore how Keepnet’s email security solutions can help protect your organization.

By implementing these 10 essential email security measures, your organization can significantly reduce its exposure to phishing, ransomware, and other email-based threats, ensuring a safer email communication environment for all users.

Protect Your Email with Keepnet for Enhanced Security in Your Organization

With the majority of cyberattacks originating through email, organizations must adopt a proactive approach to ensure that employees are aware of the latest email security threats and have the tools to defend against them.

Boost Email Security Awareness by up to 92%

Human error is one of the biggest vulnerabilities in any organization’s email security framework. Attackers often target employees through phishing emails, business email compromise (BEC) scams, and malicious attachments, making employee training an essential first line of defense. Keepnet’s email security awareness training programs are designed to increase awareness by up to 92%, significantly reducing the chances of your organization falling victim to phishing and other social engineering attacks.

Keepnet’s phishing simulators and interactive learning modules help train users to recognize and avoid phishing scams, ensuring they stay one step ahead of cybercriminals. By incorporating real-world scenarios into your training regimen, employees will be better equipped to identify suspicious emails, links, and attachments before they become a serious threat.

Safeguard Your Organization Against Phishing, Ransomware, and More

The constant evolution of email security threats, such as ransomware, data leaks, and domain spoofing, requires a comprehensive solution. Keepnet offers a multi-layered approach to email security, combining advanced threat detection, email filtering, and user awareness training to protect against even the most advanced threats.

With Keepnet’s solutions, your organization can benefit from real-time monitoring and threat intelligence, giving you the visibility needed to detect and respond to attacks before they cause damage. Our solutions are designed to safeguard your organization from a wide range of threats, including quishing (QR code phishing), BEC attacks, and malicious attachments. This proactive approach helps you mitigate risks, ensuring that email remains a secure and reliable communication tool for your business.

Leverage Keepnet’s Comprehensive Email Security Solutions

Keepnet’s full suite of email security solutions offers everything you need to protect your business:

• Phishing simulators to test and train employees in real-time
• Email Security Gap analysis tool to test your email gateways and fix the issues to keep unwanted emails from reaching your inbox.
• Threat intelligence to stay ahead of the latest attack vectors
• Security awareness training for ransomware prevention and stopping social engineering.

By implementing these tools, your organization will be prepared to defend against both common and sophisticated email-based attacks, reducing the risk of costly data breaches and downtime.

Further Reading:

• Phishing trends in 2024
• Password protection intelligence
• Protecting mobile devices
• Business privacy strategies
• Email security gap analysis
• Small business ransomware guide
• Evolving security awareness
• Vishing simulation compliance
• Voice phishing statistics
• Email incident response

Editor’s note: This blog is updated in October 2024.