July 29, 2022 | By stephen

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Email Cybersecurity Should be Your Company’s Top Priority

• Data Breach

Although it brings a myriad of benefits, email systems can be quite risky if they don’t have a reliable cybersecurity plan. This might seem like common knowledge to some, but the fact remains that up to 50% of small businesses do not have a cybersecurity plan for 2022, with many citing cost as a major player in their decision.

Your company’s email system is a prime target for a data breach. Hackers and scam artists target email systems because they provide an easy way to deceive unsuspecting victims. Contrary to popular belief, the commonly used cloud-based email systems, such as Gmail, simply do not provide enough built-in security to protect businesses from threats.

Email remains one of the most common and necessary ways to communicate in the business world. It provides organizations with an efficient, instant way to communicate with colleagues, customers, and vendors. So, having an effective email security protocol is essential to a company’s success.

3 Major Risks of Having No Email Security Protocol

Attackers are commonly looking to gain some sort of control over servers, which gives them access to sensitive information and files. Without a proper security protocol, your email system can be vulnerable to a multitude of risks.

Malware

Criminals like to use malicious software (malware) to attack servers. This includes anything from putting in viruses to introducing spyware to a company’s system. If their efforts are successful, hackers can gain unlimited control over a company’s servers. Once they do, they can do a variety of things such as altering permissions and viewing sensitive information.

Spam and phishing

Spam typically involves the act of sending unsolicited emails to disturb systems and subsequently introduce malware into those systems. Phishing is like spam, but it takes things one step further. The scammers try to trick unsuspecting victims into believing they’re someone else. If they can, they attempt to intercept sensitive information from the individual or introduce malware in a more sophisticated way.

Identity theft

Identity theft is a common result of a phishing attack. Scammers start by getting information like emails and passwords and then use them to intercept as much information as possible. This can result in the scammer using the information to act like the victim in future attacks on other organizations.

Let’s Mitigate Those Risks!

While many attacks are easy to identify, there are still quite a few that are sophisticated enough to trick an unsuspecting business. For this reason, it’s imperative to hire a trusted cybersecurity-focused provider to help mitigate risks.

Don’t be one of the 60% of small to mid-sized businesses that shut down within 6 months of a data breach. A reliable cybersecurity professional can help by providing the support and expertise you need, including:

• Regular staff training exercises on cybersecurity
• MFA (multi-factor authentication)
• Server backups
• Continuous system monitoring

All these services work in unison to provide businesses with the utmost level of email security so they can focus more on work and less on criminals trying to hack their systems. Many times, it’s the lack of education from staff members that contributes to a successful hacking attempt.

Don’t let your business become part of the 60%! Affordable options are available.

 LeadingIT offers 24/7, all-inclusive, fast, and friendly technology and cybersecurity support for nonprofits, manufacturers, schools, accounting firms, religious organizations, government, and law offices with 10-200 employees across the Chicagoland area.