Email Security Best Practices to Prevent Phishing Attacks

Employees should always be wary of emails that appear to be phishing attempts, especially if the sender is unknown.

Here are some email security best practices to follow to avoid such attacks:

Keep Your Systems Clean

The best defenses against viruses, malware, and other online threats are to use the most recent operating system, software, and web browser, as well as antivirus and malware protection. Employees may find this difficult, so the company may want to invest in a managed IT services provider who can also serve as a trusted advisor for all IT needs.

Personal or Financial Information Should Never Be Revealed in an Email

Make it clear to employees not to respond to email requests for this information. Clicking on links included in such emails falls into this category.

Examine the Website’s Security

Before sending sensitive data over the Internet security measures need to be implemented. Consider whether your employees’ browsing habits are safe. Sites that do not serve a legitimate business purpose are also more likely to contain potentially harmful links.

Pay Close Attention to Website URLs

Because not all emails or email links appear to be phishing attacks, employees may be led astray. Many malicious websites impersonate legitimate websites in order to trick end users. Looking at the URL to see if it looks legitimate is one way to sniff this out. These schemes can also be detected and avoided by observing spelling variations or the use of different domains, such as .com versus .net, etc.

Examine Any Suspicious Email Requests

If an employee receives an unusual email from a well-known company, such as a bank, direct them to contact the bank via a method other than responding to the suspicious email address. It is preferable to contact the company using the information on an account statement rather than any of the information in the email.