Starting and managing a small business might seem easy, but it’s a path full of challenges. Juggling between the financial constraints and the market competition, entrepreneurs also have to safeguard their firm in terms of cybersecurity protection. Small businesses are often the target of attacks, since hackers are wary of their lack of protection.
One of the most vulnerable aspects of a small business is its email, which is also a crucial component in building brand awareness, fostering customer relationships, and maintaining effective communication. Email marketing, for example, can yield a high ROI for the company, serving as a valuable tool for measuring profitability and performance.
While email is a powerful channel, it works best when it is part of a broader digital growth plan rather than a standalone effort. Aligning secure email practices with a clear digital growth and marketing strategy helps small businesses protect their communications while also improving consistency, visibility, and long-term brand trust across all customer touchpoints.
However, the email is the perfect channel for cyberattacks to reach entrepreneurs or employees, so here’s how to protect it.
Get an Encrypted Email Service
Encryption is a non-negotiable aspect in email security, as it prevents unauthorized access to the contents of an email. Considering business emails contain a lot of sensitive information, encryption converts all the data into an undecipherable format, allowing you to share data safely.
An encrypted email service provides end-to-end and zero-access encryption, preventing anyone from viewing the content of emails and attachments, while also blocking email trackers that track your activity. It’s essential to select a service that’s open-sourced and independently audited, while also seeking the highest standards of privacy.
Prioritize Strong Passwords
Weak passwords are one of the primary ways hackers can gain access to email accounts, as they are vulnerable to both manual guessing and automated cracking tools. Their characteristics include a short length, simplicity, and a predictable nature.
The risks a small business exposes itself to when choosing to use such passwords include the following:
- Unauthorized access;
- Data breaches;
- Account takeover;
- Legal consequences;
- Reputation damage;
Creating strong passwords is essential for all business accounts, but the email is the most important. If you’re concerned about remembering them, using a password manager can be helpful.
Use Spam Filters
Spam is a dangerous occurrence in emails, as it usually contains fake and malicious content. At the same time, in most cases, the sender acts as a trustworthy organization but uses that identity to lure you into clicking on malicious links or providing sensitive company data.
That’s why you need a spam filter, as it can identify emails that contain unwanted or dangerous content that attackers send. These tools have filtering methods that enable the automatic deletion of emails based on strict guidelines, including backlists, language, or specific rules.
Use Tools to Scan Attachments
Attachments, links, and emails are considerably dangerous, since they are usually used as a channel for phishing campaigns. While some common signs include spelling errors, generic greetings, or urgent/threatening language, modern phishing is more sophisticated and might not always be easy to identify.
Fortunately, there are tools available for scanning email content and detecting risks, such as malware and phishing. Advanced options also utilize AI to accurately detect relevant information and automate tasks, such as blocking specific emails. These tools are easy to set up and can help efficiently prevent your small business from being exposed to risks.
Learn What the Most Common Dangers Are
By far, the biggest risk a small business can face is phishing, but there are other ways through which the email is compromised. Still, phishing has become so advanced that it leverages social engineers to make it more difficult for the recipient to distinguish between the real entity behind the email and a hacker.
These skilled attackers set up a reverse proxy server, which acts as an intermediary between you and the actual website of a collaborator or company. This allows them to orchestrate man-in-the-middle attacks by registering a fake domain name similar to the real one.
Advanced phishing attacks can expose sensitive corporate data, from customer information to intellectual property, which can lead to regulatory fines and potential litigation for your small business. Additionally, the risk extends to the end consumer, as a hacker can access user accounts and credentials, allowing them to perform unauthorized transactions.
Other Common Email Attacks to Be Wary Of
Besides phishing, small businesses must also be aware of BEC (business email compromise). This type of attack specifically targets CEOs or professionals by impersonating a legitimate business. While this is mostly the case for senior executives in budget-holding positions, it is best to never reveal sensitive information through email to seemingly trustworthy organizations.
Malicious software is also dangerous, as a single click on a suspicious link can lead to harm to devices, networks, and even compromise users’ information. Ransomware, spyware, and other types of email malware can be detrimental to your small business.
But what can you do if the email account has already been hacked?
Despite implementing strong cybersecurity measures, we cannot guarantee 100% protection for our emails. That’s why having a plan in case this happens can help manage the occurrence. This is called a response plan, and it includes guidance on:
- Alerting and mobilizing IT teams;
- Resetting all passwords and enhancing multi-factor authentication;
- Informing anyone who could have been impacted by the attack, including stakeholders and customers;
- Identifying the attack vector by reviewing email logs;
- Monitoring the IT environment closely to prevent a second attack;
According to Statista, most companies have a response plan in place for attacks such as Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS). However, considerably fewer companies have it in place for a disaster recovery situation, highlighting the underappreciation of cybersecurity.
Businesses, whether small or large, must take data security more seriously to avoid data breaches and other types of attacks that could compromise their brand image. In this case, prevention and preparation are the most effective ways to ensure long-term safety.
Small businesses need their email the most for building connections and growing their brand awareness. Unfortunately, few of them have a solid cybersecurity plan, exposing them to dangerous situations. Their vulnerabilities present the perfect opportunities for hackers to devise phishing attacks, as well as malware, which can lead to serious consequences. That’s why they must use tools for encrypting their email, creating strong passwords, and filtering spam.
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