Best Practices For Email Security
In today's digital landscape, ensuring robust email security measures is paramount to safeguarding staff from potential cyber threats, shielding the organization's reputation, ensuring the reliable delivery of emails. Despite being essential communication tools, most email platforms integrated into productivity suites like Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 aren't configured with the utmost security by default.
Protecting against phishing, malware, and unauthorized access requires deliberate configuration and adherence to best practices across disciplines like authentication, attachment and link protection, spoofing mitigation, access controls, policy enforcement, and user education. Strengthening these aspects is vital to fortify defenses against evolving threats and maintain a secure and trustworthy communication environment.
Authentication & Verification
Implementing DKIM, SPF, and DMARC records is a foundational security best practice. DKIM adds digital signatures to emails, verifying their authenticity. SPF specifies which servers can send emails on behalf of your domain, reducing the chances of unauthorized senders impersonating your organization. DMARC acts as an additional layer, instructing recipient servers on how to handle emails that fail authentication. Regularly review these configurations to ensure they remain up to date and aligned with your organization's evolving needs. Learn more about SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
Attachment and Link Protection
Beyond scanning for encrypted attachments and suspicious links, consider implementing sandboxing techniques. Sandboxing isolates attachments in a secure environment to detect potential threats before they can harm your system. Moreover, educating users about the importance of verifying senders and exercising caution while interacting with attachments and links can significantly reduce the risk of falling victim to phishing or malware attacks.
Spoofing Protection
Enhance spoofing protection by deploying email authentication protocols like BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) when possible. BIMI enables companies to display their logos next to authenticated emails, providing recipients with visual cues to verify the legitimacy of the sender. Regularly review and update these configurations to stay ahead of emerging spoofing techniques and ensure that your defense mechanisms are robust.
Access Controls and Settings
Ensure multi-factor authentication (MFA) is configured as an additional layer of security to prevent unauthorized access to email accounts. Also, configure alerts for any suspicious login attempts or changes in account settings. One additional best practice is to regularly review the list of accounts and cross-reference it to your current staff/contractor workforce. If there is someone with email access that no longer works at your organization, revoke their access and work to delete their account.
Policy Enforcement and Monitoring
In addition to regular reviews of reports, consider implementing automated threat intelligence solutions. These tools can proactively identify and respond to potential threats in real-time, reducing the impact of incidents. Periodically assess and update your email security policies to align with industry best practices and evolving threat landscapes.
User Education and Training
Develop a comprehensive training program that covers various aspects of email security, including recognizing phishing attempts, handling attachments, and reporting suspicious emails. Encourage a culture of vigilance among users, where they feel comfortable reporting potential threats and actively participating in maintaining a secure email environment. Regularly update and reinforce these training modules to keep users informed about the latest threats and mitigation strategies. Learn more about our recommendations for Cyber Security Training Programs.
Wrapping Up
The significance of robust email security measures cannot be overstated. Protecting staff from potential cyber threats, upholding the organization's reputation, and ensuring reliable email delivery are pivotal elements that demand action for all organizations. With most email platforms lacking optimal default security configurations, responsibility lies with organizations to fortify their defenses. By implementing the types of security configurations that we discussed, you’ll have established a solid foundation for email security.
At RipRap Security, we understand the complexities and evolving nature of email security. We offer a comprehensive program to help organizations implement security controls and enable staff to defend the organization against email-based threats. Learn more about our email security and deliverability program.
