Author: Mark Forrest / Source: The Next Web
Email is one of the most fundamental forms of business communication today. Not many of us can imagine our lives without it.
But with one in every 100 emails disguising a hacking attempt, what can we do to better protect ourselves against those nefarious bandits wanting to get to our sensitive data?
Considering that more than 205 billion emails are sent daily across the Internet, one would be forgiven for thinking, with apologies to Mark Twain, that reports of its demise are greatly exaggerated.
Yet, some argue that its days are numbered. With several alternative forms of digital communication available, we need to seriously consider the risks and benefits associated with email.
This article explores what are, to my mind and in my experience, the seven most critical and resolvable risks associated with email. By identifying these risks, we can be better prepared to address the security challenges and privacy concerns email delivers.
The 7 deadly risks
Let’s first recognize that email was never designed to be a secure form of communication. It’s much like a modern-day postcard, the information is there for anyone to see. Just cast your minds back to the turn of the century when attacks took the form of the promise of nude photographs of a certain female tennis player.
These were easy to spot and just as easy to ignore. Fast forward to the present with cyber threats becoming increasingly sophisticated, fooling even the most security-conscious person.
From an internal communications perspective, email is still a popular platform for colleagues to share information.
But while it is relatively easy to encrypt these messages, scanning for malware, archiving documents, poor security hygiene by insiders, and even data leaks from disgruntled employees all have the potential to compromise a business.Once you start communicating with people outside the organization (and the relative safety of your business firewall), it suddenly becomes more like the Wild West.
By design, an email can pass through many hands from sender to recipient and can be copied, scanned, or read at the press of a button. There‘s nothing to really stop a business partner from forwarding sensitive information to one of your competitors.
Additionally, while reliable, you never know for certain if a message has been received, read, or even intercepted in transit. In a nutshell, email has incredibly weak auditability. There’s nothing easier than simply saying “Sorry, I didn’t get your email” rather than admit to deleting it or not having read it.
This has resulted in an increase in spoofing attacks. Essentially, these create a fake mail that looks authentic and can slip through security barriers. Once opened, it can entice the reader…
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