10 Best Email Protection Tips and Strategies

Today, email has become an essential part of our lives. That includes both personal and professional aspects. If we could go back in 1971 and ask Ray Tomlinson (the person who sent the first email), about this dominance, he might not believe us at all. It is no longer just a tool for communication, but a pathway to our digital world, often used to store important information such as bank account details, passwords, and even credit card numbers.

However, using email also comes with its own set of risks and challenges. Clicking on suspicious links, opening scam emails, or downloading malicious attachments can have devastating effects. These include identity theft, phishing, or malware infecting your devices and systems. Email accounts are highly vulnerable to cyberattacks and hackers who seek ways to steal sensitive information from unsuspecting users.

These dangers aren’t just made-up stories; they’re real concerns that can cause real issues, impacting thousands daily. To prevent falling victim to these email-based attacks, we have accumulated 10 comprehensive tips that will help you improve your email security. Let’s get started!

Why Email Protection Matters?

Emails transferred between businesses, partners, colleagues and even among friends and family often contains a wealth of information. The waters in the cyber space are teeming with cyber attackers hungry for your data. They seek out personally identifiable information that can be used in identity theft. Attackers may also manipulate victims into divulging credentials for your corporate accounts, bank accounts or credit card passwords. Data breaches, financial losses, and reputational damage can all result from cyberattacks. This is especially important for organizations conducting marketing in regulated sectors, where mishandled or spoofed emails can lead to compliance violations and reputational loss. Ensuring secure email communication should be a foundational element of any business setup.

So why do cyber attackers target emails?

• In 2024, North Korean Hacker Group Kimsuky launched phishing attacks exploiting weak email authentication policies.
• Several organizations do not practice or give importance to email protection.
• Federal agencies report that emails are the most prominent medium for cyber attacks like phishing. In 2022, spam made up over 48% of emails sent, and 83% of UK firms experiencing cyberattacks identified phishing as the method.
• Email is one of the most common modes of communication with more than 4 billion users around the world.
• A data breach often costs an enterprise more than $4 million, and a severe whaling incident can cost significantly more.

What can they do once they’re successful?

• Initiate malware and ransomware installations
• Gain access to your bank credentials
• Steal your corporate login credentials
• Manipulate you to transfer money into their accounts
• Use your identity to carry out illegal activities

So, safeguarding your email isn’t just about protecting mere messages; it’s about hoisting the sails and defending the entirety of your digital persona, and your company’s revenue, from these marauding cyberciminals. Awareness and education of cybersecurity best practices are also essential for maintaining cyber safety.

Simplify Email Protection with PowerDMARC!

Best Email Protection Tips for Businesses in 2026

As cyber attacks evolve year after year, so should your email protection strategies. Here are some email protection tips that can help you get started:

1. Setup a Strong Password and Enable Two-Factor Authentication

Think of your password as a secret code that only you should know. Avoid easy ones, because hackers love those. Make your secret code tricky with a jumble of big and small letters, numbers, and weird symbols. Using different, unique passwords for every website will make hacking much more difficult. And steer clear of obvious words or sayings.

Next up, switch on 2FA for your email, which is like adding a special guard to your account. This means to get into your email, you need your secret code plus something only you have, like a magic number sent to your phone, especially when logging in from an unrecognized device or location.  You can even use a second phone number specifically for your 2FA codes. Even if a hacker figures out your secret code, they can’t get in without that magic number.

2. Recognize and Report Phishing Attempts

Phishing emails are like tricky disguises! Here’s how to spot them:

• Check the sender’s email: Look closely at who sent the email. If it’s not from a familiar or official address, be cautious!
• Watch out for mistakes: Real emails usually don’t have silly mistakes. If you spot weird spelling or grammar, it might be a trick!
• Think before you click: It’s important that you make sure the email is sent from a legitimate source by searching it on the web. Hover over links to see the actual destination URL before clicking.
• Get email bodyguards: Some email services have built-in spam filters and can help you by spotting fishy emails before you do. Make sure you’ve got these turned on! Reporting suspicious emails also helps improve these filters.

3. Use Secure Networks: Beware of Public Wi-Fi

Public Wi-Fi is handy but usually not safe. When you check your email using public Wi-Fi, hackers on the same network might try to grab your data.

You can use a VPN server (Virtual Private Network) if you have any urgent work and it can’t wait. These VPNs can encrypt your data and mask your IP address making it nearly impossible to spy on what someone is doing. However, try to avoid accessing any private information on public networks.

4. Encrypt Sensitive Emails

Encrypting emails is another effective email protection tip. Email encryption helps keep your messages safe from people who might wish to have a piece of your personal information, especially during transmission.

When you encrypt an email, it gets turned into a code that only you or the person receiving it will understand. It means only the two of you can unlock it using the key. Even if someone tries to read your email without permission, they won’t be able to decrypt or decipher it.

5. Keep Your Software Up-to-Date

Cybersecurity is like a constant competition. Hackers are always creating new ways to attack software and discovering new vulnerabilities. Keeping your email program, operating system, browser, and other relevant software updated helps protect you from these attacks by patching known security holes. Turn on automatic updates so your systems are always armed with the latest defenses. To align your security strategy with proven planning structures, explore sample business plans designed for cybersecurity operations.

6. Conduct Regular Backups

To protect your data, conduct regular backups. You can do it every week or once a

month. It is essential because unexpected situations like ransomware attacks or hardware failures can happen to anyone. But, if you do this, you’ll never lose your data even if your account or information is hacked or compromised.

7. Utilize Available Cybersecurity Tools

Ensure your device’s built-in antivirus or dedicated anti-malware software is activated and configured for email protection. This setup helps scan attachments and monitor unauthorized access attempts. Utilize spam filters provided by your email service or third-party solutions to keep malicious emails out of your primary inbox.

Using services like Microsoft 365 enhances your security with advanced tools that thoroughly inspect your emails, identifying and alerting you about suspicious links and attachments. For an added layer of professionalism and brand consistency you can use Outlook 365 Signature management to create secure, GRC framework and branded email signatures across your organization. Stay proactive in utilizing these tools to bolster your email security effectively.

8. Think Before You Open

It’s easy to say that don’t open emails from strangers but in business, this is not practical. Instead, carefully check each email from unknown senders. Look at the sender’s name and subject line to gauge legitimacy. If the email seems legitimate, open it, but immediately check who else it was sent to. Spam often targets many with slight variations of email addresses.

Also, be wary of attachments. Only open them if you’re sure about the sender and expecting the file. Double-check the file type; spammers often use misleading names (e.g., “invoice.pdf.exe”). If an email looks suspicious, contact the sender through a separate, verified channel (like a phone call or a new email) to ensure it’s actually from them before clicking links or opening attachments.

9. Educate Yourself and Your Team

Cybersecurity issues are increasing day by day. It has become absolutely necessary to be aware of everything going around in the digital world. If you don’t have time to search every now and then, subscribe to a Cybersecurity newsletter to receive such information on a weekly basis. For businesses, regular employee training and awareness programs are crucial. Cybersecurity training helps employees understand how to handle sensitive data, recognize phishing attempts, and avoid inadvertently exposing information online or falling prey to social engineering attacks.

Different types of phishing attacks currently occurring include:

• Spear Phishing: This method targets specific individuals rather than mass emailing. It uses personalized information to appear more legitimate and convincing.
• Smishing: This approach uses SMS or text messages as a tool to mislead people into disclosing personal details or installing harmful software.
• Whaling: This strategy focuses on high-ranking targets like company executives, seeking to extract sensitive financial or confidential information through deceptive tactics.

10. Choose a Trusted Email Provider

Not all email providers offer the same level of spam detection and security features. Smaller providers may not have the resources to effectively filter incoming emails or implement robust security measures. This can leave you more exposed to spam and phishing attacks.

The businesses that use small email providers, should inquire about their email security policies and capabilities. This ensures you receive necessary communications without important messages being trapped by spam filters, while still benefiting from adequate protection against threats.

Taking Your Email Protection to the Next Level with DMARC

Email Protection in 2026 is incomplete without email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Major email service providers like Google and Yahoo have pioneered the movement of enforcing authentication for senders. If you are frequently using emails for marketing and communications, you need to enable DMARC now! SPF (Sender Policy Framework) helps prevent spoofing by verifying sender IP addresses, while DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) uses digital signatures to ensure message integrity.

Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) builds on SPF and DKIM, setting the bar high for email protection. DMARC prevents phishing, spoofing and email fraud while improving deliverability and reliability of messages by telling receiving servers how to handle emails that fail authentication checks. DMARC adoption rates have been on a steady rise in the past few years, with more and more organizations realizing its importance.

However, DMARC enforcement is not easy to manage and may have negative implications on your deliverability if not configured correctly. Hence organizations rely on managed services and hosted solutions like our DMARC analyzer. We help organizations adopt strict DMARC policies in a safe and guided environment with expert support.

Final Words

Protecting your email requires more than a one-time setup; it demands ongoing vigilance and adaptation. To truly safeguard your communications, you must keep updating your security measures and stay informed about evolving threats. By applying these strategies consistently, you greatly lower the risk of attackers compromising your email. If you’re like most internet users, you probably don’t think much about the security of your email account— until it’s compromised.

Every action you take strengthens your security, step by step. Start now and take control of your email security. Be proactive, not just reactive. Your online safety depends on it.

Lastly, if you’re thinking of using a trusted domain security platform, go for PowerDMARC. We help strengthen domains against email fraud and brand impersonation. Our solutions are tailored to fit business needs for organizations of all sizes, and email volumes, Try our free 15-day trial today!

• About
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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.

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