If big brands and government websites are not safe from hackers, do not just assume that your business will be free from cyberattacks. You have seen major international banks getting hacked, if not prepared– a cybercriminal can easily enter your network and steal your data. Cybercriminals have many possible points of access to your system. Your email is one of the most vulnerable ones.
As the old saying goes, prevention is better than cure. There are many network security software in the market right now. Bitdefender is one of the top security products. There is a Bitdefender security for every business, you just need to find the one most suitable for your network security needs.
Bitdefender Tips for Improving Your Email Security for Business
Other than investing in reliable security software, here are some things you can do to make sure that your network stays safe and that your email security is not an easy target for cybercriminals:
Use a secure password for your email account.
This tip is a no-brainer. In this time and age, this should be common sense. Unfortunately, some people would trade security for convenience. As much as it is easier to remember “abc123” or “qwerty”— it can create bigger problems for you in the future. There are times that the basics are good, but this is not one of those times.
Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS).
SSL and TLS are used to send emails securely between your computer and your SMTP service. You also need to make sure that your SMTP is properly encrypting your emails between itself and your recipient’s mail server.
Keep in mind that for this to work, the recipient’s mail server supports SSL/TLS.
Install good security and antivirus software on every computer in the company.
It cannot be stressed enough how much every business needs to invest in good security software for their network. Bitdefender offers great security software for businesses. They have products including Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security for small businesses up to Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra Security for bigger corporations.
Since phishing emails and malware are more discrete nowadays, it is best to have a layer of security ready.
Do not open suspicious attachments from emails.
If you do not recognize the sender or if you do not ever remember interacting with the sender– it may be best that you do not download the attachments from their emails. However, keep in mind that hackers are using more sophisticated methods now, so they might pretend to be a bank, a client, or a supplier that you are working with– be vigilant.
Scan emails with attachments with your security software as much as possible.
Avoid showing or providing your email address in public places.
Did you know that people can scrape your email address from public spaces? For instance, if your business has a press release or a public document uploaded somewhere– people can scrape your work email address from these places.
Consider using a secondary email account for anything that is accessible to the public.
Do not interact with suspicious emails.
If you are receiving a lot of spam or suspicious emails, report and block them. Do not interact with them by responding even with an angry reply. Responding to spam or phishing email just notifies scammers that they have a live email in their list.
Be cautious about using public WiFi.
There are times when you are expecting important emails from work while you are outside the office. It may even be the weekend while you are out and about in a mall.
Regardless of where you are, you need to be careful around “FREE WiFi”. You may be in a respectable mall, the airport, or a popular coffee shop– but keep in mind that public WiFi is a great opportunity for hackers to get into your system.
If you really must use free public WiFi, at least confirm with a member of the staff if it is indeed their WiFi network– not the network a hacker set up to steal your data.
Bottomline
Cybercriminals are getting more creative each day, you can only try and protect your business by following the tips above. Of course, it would help to have a security software like Bitdefender for your business as a layer of protection from cyberattacks.