By the year 2024, estimates show that over 4.5 billion people will be using email on a regular basis.
With emails being more popular now than ever, there are some safety considerations to take into account. Common email security mistakes cost millions of dollars every year to businesses, users and customers. Poor email security can lead to data breaches and identity theft.
Here are five common security mistakes with email and what you can do to avoid them.
- Wrong Recipient
Sending an email to the wrong person can have more consequences than embarrassment. If you don’t use the blind CC option, then everyone who receives that mail will have a whole slew of addresses they can now access. This can expose a business and colleagues to trouble.
The best way to prevent this is to double-check any email that you are sending. Make sure the addresses are correct and that any CCs you’re sending out are also hidden from sight.
- Receiving Fraudulent Emails
A major concern for any email protection strategy involves preventing phishing attacks. That can be almost impossible if individual users don’t act in a responsible way. Scammers will use anything to try and get you to click on their emails, promising money, vacations, or free stuff.
No lottery service is going to contact you via email if you win. If an email looks suspicious, don’t open it, delete it or report it to your IT department. Never respond to an email that you aren’t 100% confident is legitimate.
- Stay Up to Date
When it comes to protecting business emails, it is important to remain up to date. As vulnerabilities are discovered, fixes are put into regular software updates. Make sure that every time an update comes available, you are upgrading to the latest and most secure version.
- Password Maintenance
There’s a big problem with weak passwords and not changing them often enough. If you’ve got an active email that you use for business or even personal purposes, make sure to change the password often. This means at least once every 3-4 months, you need a new password.
This will help keep you ahead of the curve when it comes to preventing theft and other scams. Make sure your password is strong, and even then, change it on a regular basis.
- Separate Emails
One of the most common email security mistakes that people make is only having a single email. When you only have one email you overload it with work, recreation, and personal traffic. Not only will this increase the number of fraudulent emails you may get, it could leave you vulnerable.
A lot of scammers will use emails that look legit, and if you’re already overwhelmed by the incoming amount, it is even easier to miss something. For more ideas on email security, view this site.
Common Email Security Mistakes
By avoiding common email security mistakes, you lessen the chance of financial or reputation damage being done. If you think you’ve been scammed or had a security breach, make sure to address it as soon as possible. Every second you give a scammer, they will be hard at work.
If this article was interesting, please take a look at our website for more great articles.
