# 3 Top Email Security Practices to Prevent a Data Breach

###### Implement these practices for email security and protect your company from cyber threats and stop data breaches.

Shutterstock Photo License - By Peshkova

######  The Data Lake: A More Balanced Perspective

Cyber-attacks have emerged as a big threat to the world. The World Economic Forum has included cyber-attacks and data breaches in the list of top global risks in 2020. The problems associated with data breaches cannot possibly be overstated. The average data breach cost $3.86 million and that figure could rise even further in the future. 

While a cyber-attack can take a toll on anyone, it is particularly threatening for business enterprises. As most enterprises use email as their primary medium to pass on information, implementing a robust email security plan is not an option but a necessity.

If you are concerned about the cyber safety of your data-driven enterprise, use the below-listed best practices for email security in 2021. But before that, know why you should put an email security plan into action. This is critical if you want to stop a data breach. 

## Why do you need an email security plan?

Although there are several mediums of communication, email remains the preferred medium at workplaces. People pass on relevant personal information, financial information, confidential documents, etc., through email. Poor security can lead to data loss and leaks important information about a firm’s intellectual property, financial information, customer and employee information, etc. Losing sensitive information can affect a company’s revenue and market share. It can lead to downtime and fines and hamper their reputation.

Although the threat hovers over every company, highly regulated industries, like legal, finance, education, healthcare, and publishing industry suffer the most amount of damage followed by a cybersecurity breach.

Hence, every enterprise needs to have a resilient cybersecurity plan to stop data breaches.

## Practices for email security

Email is the most common medium through which most enterprises are attacked. That said, email security shouldn’t be an afterthought. To help you tackle the perils of email, PEI is hosting a webinar on email security, which is highly recommended for anyone who wants to protect their business from cyber threats. In case you didn’t know, PEI is one of the leading managed IT service providers that cater to businesses of all sizes. They have put together this webinar to share some valuable insights and their own trade secrets with you.

But before you bounce off this page, here are some of the **email security best practices** that you should know about.

### 1\. Beware of phishing emails

With phishing attacks, hackers access your email and account information. The hackers send emails containing the link to a familiar website. Most people click on the link, assuming that it is from a legitimate organization. They provide their email address and password to log into the account, and their login credentials reach the hacker. Hackers can also steal sensitive information, like credit card information using phishing emails.

Falling into the trap of phishing emails can be disastrous for firms that use a similar password for everyone working at the office. In this situation, all the sensitive data remains vulnerable to attack.

Educate your employees to stay wary of phishing emails. Develop unique and strong passwords for every employee to limit the chances of damage.

### 2\. Don’t open any attachment without scanning

The employees working in any firm, be it small or large, receive a hundred emails every day. Emails from customers, clients, teammates, accountants, etc., Many times, mails come with a file attachment. Opening the attachments without scanning can create trouble for the company as hackers send phishing emails with a file attachment.

Of course, it is not possible to toss every mail from an unknown source to the recycle bin as some of them might be genuine. Here, having an email threat protection system can help.

Several antivirus and anti-malware security software systems offer the best email-security solutions. They scan all correspondence and use advanced spam filters and alert you if the email attachment is corrupted in any way. You can then delete the mail and block the sender.

### 3\. Scan the emails for malware and viruses

Several software systems scan each mail that lands in your inbox and alerts you to receive any suspicious mail.

Invest in robust virus screening software that scans incoming emails. These antivirus solutions go a long way in averting cyber-attacks.

#### Email Security is Crucial for Stopping Data Breaches

With phishing attacks, ransomware and malware, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS), and loopholes in the cybersecurity system, it is not a difficult task for hackers to get their hands on the sensitive data of enterprises.