The ongoing pandemic crisis has altered the scope of cybersecurity. Businesses are dealing with challenges like having more remote employees, and managing teams without the traditional secure work environment. Cybersecurity must be a top priority for every organization at the moment, and it is important to address the concerns related to emails, which remain the key source of malware and phishing attacks. The consequences of a security breach can be devastating beyond financial losses. In this post, we are sharing the best steps for addressing email risks and concerns.
- Educate employees on phishing
Cybersecurity training and awareness programs are a must for every business. Employees need to know about things like social engineering and phishing, so that they know how to avoid a trap set by hackers. There are some amazing companies that can help with cybersecurity workshops, and it is wise to take help, rather than trying to figure out everything internally.
- Endpoint Protection is a must
Advanced Endpoint Protection (AEP) is another important aspect to consider. All networked devices should be placed behind firewalls, and it is wise to have a good antimalware suite on all systems. Penetration testing and monitoring traffic on a network are other steps that must be considered.
- Use a spam filter
Spam filters on email services are also handy. Employees should consider using a spam filter on their systems and workstations too. the organization has to make an effort to ensure that spam emails don’t reach employees in the first place.
- Go for multifactor authentication
Even if a hacker gets a password, they shouldn’t be able to access a resource, for which multifactor authentication is important. This could refer to having a second layer of authentication, such as a security question, or even a third layer, like a onetime password sent to mobile.
- Make things complicated for hackers
When it comes to authentication beyond the password, the questions should be such that only an employee would be able to answer the same. As for passwords, it is best to go for passphrases that have at least 16 characters, with special characters and numbers included. If your employees have trouble with passwords, recommend a password manager.
Finally, it is necessary to update all software, firmware, operating systems and browsers to the latest version. Patches, as and when made available, should be installed immediately. With basic cybersecurity measures, email risks can be managed better.
