Did you know that somewhere around 75% of security compromises (some reports say up to 94%) occur via the email vector? Simply put, between seven and nine malware attacks out of every 10 will target your email.
Worried? You should be, if you haven’t taken the necessary precautions to protect your personal and business data (and that of your clients). These especially vicious cyber-attacks can cause you loss of money or sensitive data, or even destroy your business (whether its harm to your reputation, email spoofing or intellectual property theft) if just one of their email security breaching attempts is successful.
Why email?
So why do so many cyber-attacks occur via the email platform, you may ask? In short, it’s because it’s the path of least resistance, meaning it’s the cheapest and easiest way to target a ‘cyber-victim’ and gain maximum financial rewards for the cyber-criminal. According to figures, in 2021 alone, global email cyber-attacks amounted to a staggering estimated USD 6 TRILLION (R96 trillion).
It’s clear then, that email is the weakest link in most business’s line of defence, and not protecting yourself adequately can be very costly, whether it’s ransomware, data loss or some other form of attack for financial gain.
Microsoft 365 has built-in email filters, so why should I worry?
Use Microsoft 365 and feel secure? While this highly popular vector does indeed come with multi-pronged in-built email filters (for both inbound and outbound), which have been developed to block unwanted spam and viruses in the form of Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP), these settings have to be manually customised by you so you can maximise your security levels. So you need to select what is to be on your Safe Senders list in Outlook, or to try and predetermine what is spam or perhaps malicious mail. This does open your business up to attack if you slip up and don’t apply the various settings correctly.
In other words, you can’t take it for granted that email filters, such as those that come with Microsoft 365, will catch everything that is potentially harmful when it appears. If this is not a risk you’re willing to take then there is, thankfully, a safer solution.
Building an ‘airtight’ line of defence
The good news is that cyber criminals can be stopped in their tracks if the right steps are taken. After all, a proactive approach for an affordable monthly fee is far less costly than a retroactive emergency clean-up that, worst case scenario, could mean your business has to close its doors, literally overnight.
Using a dynamic managed ICT services provider, such as Castlerock, that’s well-versed dealing with security concerns and back-up (as well as offering disaster recovery solutions and cloud services) is the most effective way of tightening up your email security against cyber-criminals.
By choosing the right provider like Castlerock, you’ll not only benefit from expert technical know-how and a solutions-based approach, you’ll also have access to a variety of partners that specialise in fighting cybercrime and email attacks. For example, the partner Castlerock uses for email security is Avanan, a highly effective check-point company that tightens up email security where standard Microsoft email filters fall short. Avanan – recognised as a market leader in email security – succeeds by detecting threats that can actually slip past the Microsoft security net, and thereby providing an additional safety wall that would otherwise leave your (and your clients’) data vulnerable to possible cyber-attack.
Five ways that the Castlerock and Avanan partnership tightens your email security net
- Specialised anti-phishing tools with a high-tech algorithm to target more sophisticated phishing threats
- Malware blocker and antivirus tools that consistently scan your cloud applications to prevent malicious files from penetrating into your Microsoft 365 email vector
- Automated sharing and encryption that make sure compliance regulations are met while ensuring top cloud functionality
- Tightens up security against cyber threats that gateways like Zix SecureGateway and ATP don’t detect
- Inline protection stops sensitive data leaving and provides click-time protection by wrapping URLs and inspecting links and attachments for malware.
You’ll also be pleased to know that Castlerock and Avanan will protect your data effectively without actually having to reroute your email, providing an embedded safeguard in cloud email systems, and constantly stay one-up on cyber criminals by keeping informed on new threats, no matter how sophisticated they may be. This enables you to operate your business without the additional worry of having any weak points in your email security wall.
After all, is it worth the risk not to take pre-emptive action against cyber-criminals when it comes to your lifeblood – your precious business?
Contact Castlerock, and we’ll check your email security and take the necessary steps to halt the hackers … in their tracks. Before it’s too late.