Email remains the number-one application used to communicate in the workplace. This is surprising when you consider that 94% of businesses will experience an email-borne malicious attack this year. And that's not the only alarming statistic from Mimecast's latest State of Email Security report. 54% of global organizations have seen an increase in phishing attack volume, while 53% have experienced a "business-disrupting" ransomware attack. All things considered - is your inbox in need of a security refresh?
Here's How to Fight Malicious Email Attacks
Who's the Weakest Link?
While everyone is susceptible to malicious email content, members of the C-suite have been historically desirable targets for cybercriminals. Of companies surveyed, Mimecast found that:
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40% regard their CEO as a security weak link
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40% believe their CEO undervalues the impact of email security
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31% of C-level employees had sent sensitive data to the wrong person
For companies that suffered a malicious email-based impersonation attack, they reported the following consequences:
Image courtesy of Mimecast.
Malicious Intent or Human Error?
There has been a consistent upswing in malicious activity, year over year. Mimecast found an increased volume of fraud (particularly wire transfer requests), requests for confidential data, impersonation of third-party vendors, and malicious email attachments. A further 71% of organizations experienced email-based malicious activity spread by an infected user.
Surely, these suspicious attachments would have raised a red flag for end-users? Unfortunately, that was not always the case. Mimecast found that only 25% of companies regularly train their employees to spot cyberattacks. Of the training taking place, the most common methods include:
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62% - group sessions
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45% - interactive videos
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44% - formal online testing, reference tips, and one-on-one sessions
Strategic Threat Protection
Those businesses affected by email-based ransomware faced an average of 3 days of downtime. 26% suffered reputational damage, and 29% experienced direct financial loss following an email impersonation attack. But these consequences are avoidable with a full-stage protection solution that:
- has proactive security services in place well before a security event occurs
- will maintain email and business operations during an attack or failure
- can quickly recover data and corporate IP if an incident occurs
And while email security is foundational to a strong cybersecurity posture, it should be one of many integrated strategies. iCorps’ Managed Security solution was designed with this in mind, for a "Defense in Depth" model that provides network-wide layered security. iCorps' Managed Security features:
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Web content filtering
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Strong two-factor authentication
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Intrusion detection and prevention
- Firewall with deep packet inspection
Learn about iCorps' Managed Security offerings, including anti-virus email software, today.