One of the most effective and prevalent ways to reach someone in today’s business world remains email. With billions of users worldwide, it is the backbone of business communications.

However, this kind of popularity comes at a cost. Email is probably the most common point of entry abused by cybercriminals. This finding stems from the fact that many organizations don’t have an adequate email verification security system in place.

That said, here are some of the most common email security threats and ways to overcome them.

Spam Can Clog Up Inboxes and Servers

Spam or unsolicited emails sent in bulk are unwanted messages that manage to arrive in users’ inboxes. These primarily consist of ads that aim to sell goods or services to people. However, spamming is not as risk-free despite its seeming harmlessness.

Research shows that around 14.5 billion spam reach inboxes each day, accounting for around 45% of all the emails sent daily. Despite the use of advanced anti-spam applications, everyone still finds spam in their inboxes.

Large amounts of junk emails not only use up valuable server space but can also slow down an organization’s network. This problem can result in network downtime and sometimes even hamper a business’s operations.

Solution

Despite the annoyance spamming can result in, they are easy to manage. Users can create safe lists or configure their software to filter out unwanted emails automatically. Some webmail service providers offer filtering options that let users choose their desired level of spam protection.

Malware Infections Can Start from Opening Spam

Experts estimate that 2% to 4% of emails contain some form of malware infection trigger. Asking recipients to open malware disguised as harmless email attachments is, in fact, one of the oldest tricks in spammers’ books. Some malicious emails contain links to specially crafted websites that automatically drop malware onto systems when clicked.

Many email solutions can scan for malware and malicious URLs. However, with the constant evolution of malware, these may still have a hard time keeping up.

Solution

Users of antimalware solutions should thus always make sure these stay up to date. An organization’s cybersecurity team should regularly update operating systems (OSs) and run malware scans as well.

Companies that obtain leads via email registration can screen addresses using an email verification tool before allowing users access to their websites. This program can help them ensure that everyone they give access to is using an account that isn’t blacklisted.

Email Is a Primary Phishing Attack Vector

Despite its age, phishing remains one of the most common threats that affect businesses. A large number of enterprises, in fact, say they succumbed to a phishing attack that resulted in a ransomware infection.

Phishers rely on the trust that users accord to reputable brands. So these are often abused to persuade potential victims to install malware on their systems by visiting a supposed legitimate site. The page they land on, of course, is just a very convincing fake. More advanced phishers may also compromise sites for campaigns.

Solution

To effectively combat phishing, users need to stay informed and understand how attacks work. They need to be educated in identifying common phishing tactics and reminded to avoid clicking links, especially in suspicious-looking emails.

Employing an email verification solution is also quite handy in that it validates email addresses. Organizations can use it to check each email address against a blacklist. They can then block malicious email addresses from accessing their network.

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Email communication is bound to remain commonplace in the business world. To guarantee email security, therefore, organizations need to employ various tools to ensure comprehensive email security. Using email verification software would be a good start.