Het gebruik van e-mail voor communicatie en online samenwerken is heel gebruikelijk. Iedereen heeft beschikking over e-mail en weet hoe het werkt, maar hoe zit het met de veiligheid ? Dit gastblog van onze partner Sendent legt uit wat de risico's zijn en hoe je hiermee kunt omgaan.
Cyber security threats are on the rise, but the attacks aren't limited to big businesses. According to a 2022 security report, small businesses are three times more likely to be targeted by cybercriminals.
Researchers at cloud security firm Barracuda Networks analyzed emails from thousands of companies. They found that an employee of a small business with less than 100 employees will experience 350% more targeted attacks than an employee of a larger company.
The reason? Poor email security.
In a 2022 State of Email Security report, 76% of respondents reported having been the target of email attacks. While the built-in security measures from platforms such as Microsoft 365 offer some protection from email attacks, 90% of IT professionals surveyed say it is not enough.
These cyberattacks can cause considerable reputational and financial harm to both consumers and businesses. Yet, despite repeated calls for action, businesses have been slow to respond to this emerging threat. However, new solutions to counteract email-borne attacks minimize risk and offer increased protection.
Why email?
Email remains to be the preferred platform for internet crime, having been used in nearly 90% of all cyberattacks. Response from Silicon Valley has been swift: Google security research lead Elie Bursztein says Gmail blocks over 100 million phishing emails every day.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also simultaneously worsened the attacks and weakened user resilience to cyber threats. As users transitioned to a work-from-home setting, cybercriminals took advantage of the insecure networks and computer hardware.
Attacks are becoming more sophisticated
Many businesses and organizations failed to prioritize email security until it was too late. Until recently, mitigation measures were limited to filtering spam from inboxes.
Recent attacks have shown that the techniques used in email attacks are quickly evolving. There is a marked increase in the use of phishing messages to target mid-level managers and C-suite executives.
Investment in security is a must
As long as data remains a commodity, threat actors will remain targeting businesses to steal confidential information. The best defense is a mixture of education, vigilance, and investment in email security tools.
Nextcloud makes it easier for teams, businesses, and organizations to communicate and collaborate, while Sendent helps users keep their emails (and data in them) secure. The Sendent plug-in works with Outlook and is connected to your Nextcloud environment where your data is securely stored.
