Types of Email Security Threats You Must Know

 Email threats are constantly growing. As emails have become a key platform for corporate communications, cybercriminals are continuously evolving to locate new ways to use emails to breach business security. Be it regular email attacks such as viruses and spam or advanced targeted threats including spear-phishing and wire transfer phishing - enterprises must combat and stop these ever-growing cyberattacks. To fend off these onslaughts of cyber threats, we must first learn all types of threatening cyberattacks that infect our network using our emails.    

In this blog, we will list and discuss a few common attacks used by cybercriminals to break into corporate systems through email inboxes. Later in the blog, we will also discuss how to prevent email threats and outline a few practical ways to mitigate these threats.  

Why Are Emails the Favorite Target?  

Email is probably the favorite attack vector for hackers. Since email is one platform that almost all employees of the workplace use for internal and external communications, there is a high success rate for attackers using it as a launch point. Also, since emails are a vital component of cybersecurity and store sensitive information, they are a direct gateway to the confidential data of that corporation. Only if comprehensive and targeted email protection practices are deployed you can secure your organization from varied email-targeting cyber threats. 

Let us have a look at the most common yet dreadful cyber-attacks that target your emails:  

#1 Ransomware & Other Malicious Viruses   

Ransomware is an advanced malware that attacks your emails to get access to your entire computer system. The software blocks the victim from accessing its data until the victim pays the ransom. Businesses across the globe have lost billions of dollars to Ransomware attacks over the years. The recent surge was seen during COVID-19 when organizations became vulnerable and weak and failed to prioritize their email security. However, enterprises later realized that modern problems require modern solutions. Hence, integrating advanced email security solutions seems to be a wise idea that could shield your business from smart email security threats like Ransomware. 

  

Malicious software or malicious files are viruses that use malicious code to attack our computers. It also starts with targeting your emails and the data on them. Then slowly spreads to the entire computer or even entire networks. Advanced malware examples are Trojans, spyware, and different malicious worms. These emails impersonate the legitimate identity of a valid customer or supplier to trick victims into downloading rogue files containing malware.   

#2 Phishing Emails  

Alike spam, Phishing emails too can be very threatening to businesses today. However, Phishing spams are more customized for the victim, tricking them into sharing their sensitive information directly with the attacker. As soon as the attackers somehow acquire the data from a compromised financial institution, they use the customer's personal information like names, email addresses, and bank account numbers to craft persuasive spear-phishing emails. Such emails lure the victim into clicking the fake link and filling in their real banking login credentials. Even company employees can be the targets since the attackers can trick them into unveiling credentials by impersonating valid corporate admin accounts.  

#3 DDoS Attacks & Botnets  

Several cybercriminals attack your emails using hijacked botnets. These malicious bots send out spam emails in large numbers to a targeted organization, leading to a system overload to crash servers. Such botnet attacks and DDoS attacks on email servers can target B2C and B2B businesses, as their sales mostly rely on their websites and emails, respectively.  

#4 Domain Squatting  

It is the one attack that ruins the company's image completely other than harming its security posture. Domain squatting is the attack where the hackers use the victim's domain name to benefit from the organization’s trademark. Businesses can avoid Domain Squatting simply by registering their business domain as a trademark. They can also purchase domain ownership protection for an added layer of email security. 

 

#5 Authentication Attacks  

Have you ever heard of Brute Force Attacks or Credential Stuffing? Both of these attacks use the email inbox itself to launch an attack. The hackers try to launch authentication attacks on the business email servers with the intent to gain access to the server by breaking over authentication. Once the hackers have access to the email server, all your stored messages and attachments are compromised.  

Ace Cloud Hosting Can Protect Your Business Against Email Security Threats  

Deploying and managing comprehensive in-house security solutions can be complex and shockingly costly. It also adds strain to your in-house IT teams, reducing their efficiency. Hence, several leading enterprises are turning to Ace Cloud Hosting's multi-layer managed email security services to protect against all the above-listed email threats.   

ACE can help fortify your business security and prevent email threats by offering the following services: 

 

•           SOC as a Service: ACE Cloud Hosting monitors all aspects of your network using SOC. From Network Intrusion Detection to Behavioral Analysis and Spam Filtering, ACE has a full suite of advanced tools to neutralize email attacks before they penetrate your system, protecting your organization.
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• Best Email Security: The advanced cloud-based managed email security services by ACE fend off various types of cyber threats, including ransomware, malware, and phishing, and keep your business network secure. Ace also offers Spam Filtering, Sandboxing, and MITRE ATT&CK-Based Detection to improve your Email security posture.  

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Why are you still holding off? Get your free security consultation worth $500 at ACE with their security experts today!