4 tips to improve the security of your emails.
Email is possibly the most commonly used communication tool in the business world, and yet many of its users are unaware of these simple security guidelines we now share.
A large percentage of the cyber security problems of SMEs and freelancers are produced through electronic mail. It makes sense if we consider that email is the most used gateway to receive electronic communications. Yes, WhatsApp may one day end up supplanting e-mail as the daily form of communication, but until that day does not arrive, it is better to take into account the recommendations on email security offered by the National Institute of cyber security
1. Always suspect unknown senders
Caution is always the best ally on the internet, but especially when it comes to managing our email. That is why it is imperative that all employees of our company take the precautions when opening an email from an unknown sender, especially if this email comes with an attachment.
Likewise, in this type of suspicious emails, it is important not to punch any links, because also through those links we can paste viruses or malware very harmful to our company.
When in doubt, it is best to contact our computer, do not click on the link or download the attachment that comes in the e-mail.
2. Avoid sending critical information without encryption
As a general rule, the emails we send are not specially protected against third parties, that is, they are unencrypted. According to INCIBE, “this means that anyone, though not very complex techniques, could read the content of our emails”.
Therefore, when sending critical or confidential information, it is a good idea to encrypt the email or send that information compressed under different security protocols.
To use this type of solutions, it is best to consult a computer professional or, failing that, go to applications that allow the sending of encrypted emails, such as Enigmail, GPG or Google Chrome extension, Mailvelope – all recommended by INCIBE.
3. Take care of who and how you share your email accounts
One of the best ways to avoid security problems through email is to prevent strangers with ‘criminal’ intentions from doing so with our email address. That is why, security experts recommend that, beyond the information or contact that is essential to give the user a life of communication, we avoid sharing on social networks and websites the emails of our employees or ours.
Cyber criminals have specific tools for scanning social networks and web pages for emails they ‘spam’. Better not give them the pleasure of sharing corporate accounts for everyday use.
4. Disables HTML reading of emails
HTML is responsible for giving ‘life’ to many of the emails we receive, whether through different types or colors, images, and so on. According to INCIBE, this format “also allows you to include a programming language called JavaScript […] that can also be ‘badly’ used to cause spammers to verify that the email address is active or to redirect the user’s web browser to a malicious web page that infects our computer. ”
That’s why it’s best to turn off reading in HTML when it’s not really a feature we need. It is just one of the many precautions that we can follow in the day to day of our company not only us but the set of our employees.
