Email safety is critical for small businesses to avoid cyber threats such as phishing, malware, and ransomware. These threats can lead to data breaches, financial losses, business downtime, reputational damage, and limit service output. Cybercrimes are estimated to cost companies globally up to $10.5 trillion by 2025, making it a prerequisite for entrepreneurs, regardless of business size, to protect themselves against these attacks.

Today small businesses can protect themselves and their customers’ sensitive information by implementing email safety measures such as encryption, spam filters, regular software updates, data backups, firewalls, and employee training.

Key Takeaways

Email safety is crucial for protecting sensitive business information and reputation against escalating cyber threats like phishing and ransomware, which impact businesses of all sizes.
Implementing technical measures like DMARC, SPF, DKIM, encryption, firewalls, and regular software updates significantly reduces vulnerability to attacks.
Consistent employee training on cybersecurity awareness and threat identification (e.g., phishing) is essential to minimize human error risks.
Strong security practices are necessary for compliance with data protection regulations (like GDPR), avoiding legal liabilities and financial penalties.
Regular data backups and utilizing advanced tools like ATP and fraud protection are key components of a comprehensive strategy to prevent data loss and financial damage.

Unveiling the Importance of Email Safety: Why Businesses Must Prioritize It Now More Than Ever

Email security is the first line of defense against cyberattacks and data breaches. If you’re a business owner, you likely have sensitive information that must be protected at all costs.

In the third quarter of 2022, financial institutions were the target of 23% of phishing attacks worldwide. Additionally, webmail and web-based software services accounted for 17% of attacks. This made them the two most often targeted industries for phishing during the investigated quarter.

Email safety software can help you do just that, especially if you’re starting with a lean business model or an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) approach. Implementing security early on will protect sensitive data as your business scales. Most entrepreneurs feel cyberattacks only target big-money companies, but cybercriminals adapt their attacks based on security levels, making poor cybersecurity practices a vulnerability for businesses of any size.

Here are reasons why businesses should invest in email safety:

Protecting Sensitive Information

Protecting confidential information like customer records, bank account numbers, and intellectual property is paramount. Otherwise, it’s only a matter of time before hackers attack your business. Email security software helps keep your most sensitive data safe from unauthorized users by preventing unauthorized extraction of valuable information.

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Preventing Cyber Attacks and Financial Loss

Cybersecurity attacks are on the rise. So protecting your business from them is important as much as possible. Email safety software can help prevent hackers from accessing your company’s data. These software are effective in preventing phishing scams and other fraudulent methods. One common aftermath of a cyber hit is losing revenue; you may need cybersecurity experts to restore operations, pay for damages, and face costs from business downtime, audits, legal fees, and remediation. A prevalent threat is ransomware, where hackers lock files and demand hefty payments, often leaking or selling data even if the ransom is paid. Ransomware can spread rapidly, compounding losses. Solutions offering advanced fraud protection can help defend against such sophisticated threats.

Ensure Compliance with Regulations

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires companies to protect their customers’ personal data. It also requires them to report data breaches within 72 hours of discovery. Failure to employ adequate security measures can lead to legal fines and regulatory sanctions if data is compromised.

Email safety can help you achieve compliance. Email safety and security tools enable you to track and monitor your communications. Example: DMARC helps you track email authentication on a centralized platform, demonstrating due diligence in protecting data.

Maintain Business Reputation and Customer Trust

Email is a critical part of every business’s communication strategy. So securing emails can be pivotal for a business’s reputation. Trust is essential for good customer relationships; if customer data lands in the hands of threat actors due to a breach, it severely damages this trust and your business’s reputation. This is where the importance of a business plan comes into play. A well-thought-out plan includes measures for email security, helping businesses avoid potential damage to their credibility.

For example, if your company sends out an email with a phishing link embedded in it, it would put your brand in a bad light. Your customers may lose trust in you and unsubscribe from your services. High-profile cyberattacks attract media attention, painting the business negatively and making it hard to attract customers and potential investors. A B2B SAAS SEO agency can assist in managing and improving online reputation after such incidents. Also, it’s always advisable to work with custom software development or MVP companies that have a track record of security and reliability.

Avoid Legal Liabilities and Regulatory Penalties

Email accounts often store business data. This includes customer information, employee records, business plan format and financial data. If hackers breach your emails, you risk the legal liability of leakage of confidential information.

Many industries like healthcare, finance, and government have strict compliance regulations. These regulations aim to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access or misuse. You may be liable if these regulations are not met due to a lack of email safety measures, potentially facing government audits and lengthy investigations that could result in criminal liability. Additionally, it’s crucial for medical coding companies to implement robust email safety measures to comply with these regulations and safeguard sensitive data effectively.

To further safeguard your business from legal liabilities and regulatory penalties:

Establishing your company as a limited liability company (LLC) can provide an added layer of protection.
This shows your commitment to mitigating risks. It also helps you adhere to legal and regulatory requirements like the CAN-SPAM Act in the United States. This comes in handy if you are established in one of the states like an LLC in Texas state.
Relative to the possible safeguarding advantages, the cost of an LLC is manageable for a new business. It can even in certain circumstances be acknowledged for tax deduction purposes.

Protect Intellectual Property and Other Confidential Information

Data loss prevention (DLP) tools can help protect against data leaks. They scan emails for sensitive keywords such as credit card or social security numbers.

DLPs also monitor file attachments, such as documents containing trade secrets, product launch plans, or even an invoice template for MS Word. These documents shouldn’t be shared outside the company. One can share them after relevant stakeholders provide their approval.

Shielding Your Small Business: Top Email Safety Tips to Keep Cyber Threats at Bay

The most secure email solution is the one you don’t use.

But if you’re going to send and receive emails, it’s important to be aware of the security risks and implement precautionary steps.

According to the research, phishing attempts that are not email-based are also on the rise. Quishing (QR code phishing), smishing (SMS phishing), and vishing (voice phishing) to name a few!

Here are some email safety tips for protecting your company from spam, phishing, and other threats:

Enable DMARC alignment

This is a good first step toward implementing email safety best practices. DMARC helps prevent spoofing by letting you tell ISPs what to do with mail that fails SPF or DKIM authentication checks.

You can choose between policies like quarantine and reject. They will help ensure your domains are adequately protected. They will also serve as a defense against phishing and spoofing attacks.

Use SPF and DKIM records

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) are other headers that can help protect your domain. Though in combination with DMARC, both allow for stronger authentication.

SPF uses sender authorization while DKIM uses cryptographic signatures to validate messages from your domain. They verify whether emails were legitimately sent by someone on your team or from an authorized third party.

Update Software Regularly

A bare minimum security measure is regularly updating your anti-spyware, anti-virus software, operating systems, and applications. Hackers constantly look for networks with outdated security protection. Therefore, always check regularly to ensure your systems, including critical tools like financial reporting software, are running on up-to-date versions to patch vulnerabilities.

Deploy Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)

If you don’t have ATP, consider it an essential element for securing your network against malware and viruses. ATP monitors all incoming emails, attachments, and URLs, looking for signs of suspicious activity.

It can also block malicious attachments before they reach employees’ inboxes. For this, a method called “sandboxing” is used. It analyzes suspicious files in a virtual environment before they’re allowed on your network.

Strengthen Email Security with BIMI and Verified Logos

BIMI provides a standardized mechanism for businesses to display their brand logo. The logo is displayed next to the subject line of their authenticated emails.

BIMI is obvious and simple to spot, unlike other email security measures, even for non-techies.

It also enhances your email deliverability rates. It helps prevent fraudsters from posing as your company in phishing emails targeting your clients.

The DMARC standard for email authentication lays the foundation for BIMI. Businesses must implement DMARC authentication to create a BIMI record. The record contains the URL for the file’s location containing the company logo to use BIMI.

To fully leverage the branding potential of BIMI, companies are turning to AI Logo creation services. They may sometimes help modify logos to meet the technical specifications required.

Use Email Sandboxing

Sandboxing allows IT professionals to analyze suspicious emails without putting their organizations at risk. The process involves isolating dangerous messages in a separate environment. The information can then be analyzed without impacting other systems or users.

This gives IT teams time to investigate malicious emails before they become part of the company’s email traffic. This can help protect employees from harm. This also ensures legitimate messages aren’t blocked or quarantined without reason.

Enable Email Encryption for Sensitive Information

Encryption isn’t just for protecting sensitive information in transit; it can also be used to protect sensitive information at rest. It turns plain text into an unreadable format using complex algorithms, rendering data useless to hackers without the encryption key. Encrypting emails protects against unauthorized access by hackers or other malicious actors who might gain access to your network. The best part is that many email providers offer this service freely — so there’s no excuse not to enable it!

Implement Regular Data Backups

A data backup system is essential for protecting your business’ data against human error, hardware failure, power outages, and virus attacks. A data backup involves copying scanned data and other relevant business information to a secure location in case of a breach or loss. Regular data backups, along with secure payment methods and technologies like QR codes for secure document access (e.g., creating a QR code for a document), can further safeguard operations. You can perform data backups manually or remotely using cloud services or other remote storage facilities.

Train Staff on Cybersecurity Practices

Your employees are often the first line of defense and are in constant contact with sensitive data. Negligence can result in heavy losses. Therefore, cybersecurity training is essential to help your staff understand cyberattack risks and threats. Training provides the knowledge to identify potential pitfalls and common tactics like phishing emails, minimizing the chances of a successful attack.

Install and Maintain Firewalls

A firewall is a network security system that monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules. It acts as a barrier between a trusted internal network and untrusted external networks (like the internet), preventing malicious traffic while allowing legitimate communications. Firewalls are a proactive defense, automatically filtering potential threats and providing an enhanced security level for vulnerable networks.

Enhance Protection with MTA-STS

One of the most effective ways to improve email security is to enable MTA-STS. This email security protocol is a defense against man-in-the-middle attacks. It enables messages to be transferred over an encrypted connection.

Limit Email Forwarding and Auto-Forwarding

Remove unnecessary forwarding options on your email server. So only authorized employees can access your company’s accounts. If you allow employees to forward messages, configure a firewall or security software. This will prevent unauthorized users from accessing the server through ports 25 and 110.

Use Automation

A secure, vetted business process, such as online scheduling, can also protect small businesses from cybersecurity threats. You can implement automation with tools such as marketing automation tools. This can reduce the risk of human error, making processes more efficient and secure. Automated systems can detect malicious activities and alert the business of any potential security threats.

Consider Cyber Insurance

Cyber insurance can help your business recover from financial losses due to cyberattacks or data breaches. These policies typically cover costs incurred from the incident, including forensic investigation, legal advice, remediation, and other related liabilities. Integrating secure platforms like a digital sales room can also mitigate risks by providing controlled environments for client engagement, complementing your insurance coverage.

Final Words: Strengthening Your Business’s Defenses with Email Safety

Email today is an essential tool for communication in the workplace. However, it also poses significant security risks, making email security a top priority for small businesses. Small businesses can protect sensitive information, prevent cyberattacks, and ensure compliance with regulations by implementing email security measures such as DMARC, SPF, and DKIM authentication, end-to-end encryption, firewalls, regular software updates, and advanced threat protection.

Employee education, strong password policies, regular data backups, and security audits are also important components of a robust defense strategy. They can help strengthen email security and reduce the risk of data breaches and financial losses. While no method is foolproof, prevention is always better than cure.

By investing in email security, small businesses can safeguard their operations, protect their reputation and bottom line, and stay ahead of the ever-evolving threat landscape. PowerDMARC helps businesses scale their protection against phishing and spoofing attacks with DMARC and other hosted email authentication solutions ideal for entrepreneurs relying on email communications.

About
Latest Posts

Ahona Rudra

Domain & Email Security Expert at PowerDMARC

Ahona is the Marketing Manager at PowerDMARC, with 5+ years of experience in writing about cybersecurity topics, specializing in domain and email security. Ahona holds a post-graduation degree in Journalism and Communications, solidifying her career in the security sector since 2019.

Why Should Small Businesses Care About Email Safety?