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Why e-mail could be your top data security threat

September 22, 2020

It is the rare enterprise these days that has yet to encounter a security threat. The ease with which cyberattacks can be mounted and the payoff from even a small firm, or an individual, has turned digital crime into an equal opportunity endeavor.

This is why many businesses understand they must invest in the latest, most sophisticated security measures, particularly over the past three years or so in the wake of major assaults like WannaCry, ransomware, and the massive data breaches experienced by Equifax and other leading data firms. While these security platforms may offer the best protection available, they are largely powerless to prevent wrong-doers from hacking internal systems and data if they’ve been invited in by legitimate users. And the most common way to do this is through a targeted e-mail attack.

A growing problem

Phishing remains the method of choice for the vast majority of cyberattacks. Using sophisticated social targeting, disguised links and attachments, cyber criminals can do in seconds what could take hours or days for an advanced piece of software to do: circumvent a security platform and gain access to sensitive data or critical infrastructure.

This is why incidences of e-mail phishing are on the rise, says the Ponemon Institute. In its latest report, the group noted that some 25 percent of users regularly open and read suspicious e-mail. While this does not typically launch an attack, upwards of 10 percent will then click on a link or open an attachment within the e-mail, which is all that is needed to introduce malware like data scrubbers or ransomware programs into the full data ecosystem. In other words, by sending as few as 10 e-mails, a typical hacker gains a 90 percent chance of successfully penetrating a given data environment, which goes a long way toward explaining why businesses lose $3.7 million per year on average to cybercrime.

Many organizations have instituted training programs to give employees the knowledge to identify and report suspicious e-mails, but these efforts are likely to lose their effectiveness as new technologies come into play. Already, artificial intelligence and massive data gathering efforts are making it possible to pepper fake e-mails with all manner of personalized information to trick even experienced workers.

What’s needed is a robust security regime specifically designed to address the vulnerability of e-mail systems. OnX has developed the Advanced E-mail Security Services platform that targets key threats like infected spam, fake e-mails and targeted attacks. In this way, organizations can rest assured that their e-mail capabilities will benefit from high continuity and availability even if a main server is attacked.

The platform is available on three service tiers, giving organizations multiple cost and pricing options:

  • Business features – The standard entry point, featuring a managed set of foundational functions that maintain operations while providing broad protection of e-mail assets.
  • Advanced features – A turn-key solution that supplements the business features set with Attachment Defense, E-mail Encryption, and Social Media Account Protection.
  • Security Pro features – Adds tools like E-mail Archive and eDiscovery to the business and advanced tiers, as well as unlimited storage for 10 years of data retention and end-user search.

Any proper security platform requires a high degree of transparency. If there is no way to view the inner functions of the e-mail system, organizations have no way of knowing what, if any, risks are present at a given moment. As a managed service, OnX provides monthly and quarterly reports outlining system health and any emerging factors that may affect future performance. The platform can also be configured with a read-only dashboard to give users a means to gauge threats to their communications. Custom reports are also available to accommodate specialized needs.

Addressing the issue with Advanced Email Security Services

Another important factor in effective security is the ability to perform without hampering ongoing data functions. The Advanced E-mail Security Service is designed to work seamlessly with all other OnX services, including ticket-tracking, chronic event reporting and incident response.

The importance of e-mail in today’s business world cannot be overstated. But its utility can quickly diminish if it becomes too risky to use. Proven world-class software as a suite of integrated, managed services is a time-honored way of delivering top performance for a wide range of business functions, but particularly in areas of security. OnX Advanced E-mail Security Services platform delivers top-rated protection to e-mail environments, supplemented by certified experts to provide continuous monitoring, management, and support.

In this way, organizations can protect not only themselves and their employees, but their partners and customers as well.

Contact us for more information on how OnX can help protect the data security of your e-mail and other crucial applications.

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