Email security refers to the practice of protecting email against potential cybersecurity threats. Phishing, account takeover, and other email-focused cyberattacks pose a significant risk to an organization, its employees, and corporate and customer data.
Email is a common target of cyberattacks due to its ubiquity and the relative ease of crafting a phishing campaign compared to other cyber threats. Protecting against the ever-evolving email threat requires advanced email security solutions.
對電子郵件安全性的一些最大威脅包括:
網路釣魚攻擊是對電子郵件安全最知名和最常見的威脅。網路釣魚攻擊始於尼日利亞王子詐騙等攻擊,這些攻擊以其糟糕的語法和令人難以置信的藉口而聞名。隨著時間的推移,這些攻擊變得越來越複雜,攻擊者發送更加精緻的電子郵件,並且使用更合理的藉口。
The modern phishing attack can be general or targeted. These targeted attacks, also called spear phishing attacks, are highly researched and designed to trick a particular person or group.
One example of a common spear phishing attack is business email compromise (BEC). In a BEC attack, the target is tricked into sending sensitive data — or more commonly money — to the attacker. BEC attacks have become one of the most significant and expensive phishing attacks that companies face. According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), BEC attacks between the years 2013 and 2022 caused an estimated loss of $50 billion.
Email is an ideal delivery mechanism for malware. Malware can be attached directly to an email or embedded in documents that are shared as attachments or via cloud-based storage. And once installed on a computer, malware may steal sensitive information or encrypt a user’s files.
電子郵件帳戶可以訪問大量敏感信息。 除了透過電子郵件直接發送的資料外,這些帳戶還用於存取基於雲端的基礎設施和其他線上服務。
An attacker with access to these email accounts can gain access to all of this sensitive information, making email account credentials a common target of attack. Additionally, this information can be leaked by employees who accidentally include an unauthorized party on an email chain or fall for a phishing attack.
惡意鏈接是網路犯罪分子將電子郵件化為武器的一些最常見方式。 透過嵌入電子郵件中的連結,攻擊者可將收件者引導到攻擊者控制下的網頁。
These phishing pages can be used for a variety of different purposes. Phishing pages can be designed to steal user credentials or deliver malware. Regardless, they can cause serious damage to an organization.
In an account takeover (ATO) attack, a cybercriminal gains access to a user’s email or other online account. This is usually accomplished by stealing the user’s login credentials via phishing, credential stuffing, malware, or similar means.
Once an attacker has control over a user’s email account, they can abuse it in various ways. For example, the user’s email might be used in a spear phishing attack, to send out spam, or to gain access to other accounts by requesting password reset emails to be sent to the compromised account.
Spam is unwanted email sent out via mass mailers. Spam can be used for various purposes, ranging from marketing efforts by legitimate companies to attempts to infect the target computer with malware.
Quishing is a form of phishing attack that uses QR codes. Emails will contain an image of a QR code, which, if scanned, will direct the user to a phishing site designed to harvest login credentials or infect their computer with malware.
Quishing attacks are designed to take advantage of the fact that a user is likely to scan the code presented in an email using the camera on their mobile device. Since personal smartphones are likely unmanaged by the company, this provides a means for the attacker to bypass the organization’s security controls.
Companies can use various email security services and solutions to protect against phishing and other email-related threats. Some common types include:
Recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) have multiple potential impacts for email security, including:
Email security services should provide protection against a wide range of email threats. Some key features of these solutions include the following:
電子郵件是網絡罪犯最常用的攻擊媒介之一,因為它簡單有效。 如果組織和其員工遵循電子郵件安全最佳做法,防範這些攻擊也很簡單,包括:
Cybercriminals understand how vital email is to modern business, making an email security solution capable of detecting phishing, data loss, and other email-related threats, an absolute necessity.
Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration provides state-of-the-art protection against common and emerging email threats. To learn more about its capabilities, request a demo. You’re also welcome to try it out for yourself with a free trial.