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Small businesses are essential to the local economy, as they attract innovation, create more jobs, and lay the groundwork for a circular economy. Unfortunately, as beneficial as they are to the economy, small businesses are significantly affected by cyberattacks due to a lack of a comprehensive strategy.
At the same time, scammers and hackers target small businesses, as they often assume these businesses will operate without adequate protection against external risks. Moreover, inadequate employee training on cybersecurity poses a significant risk, as it provides an opportunity for social engineering exploitation. The easiest way to exploit human trust is to manipulate it through common methods, such as social engineering or impersonation, which can be easily executed via email.
Email threats are some of the most underrated in a company, but they’re the perfect starting points of an attack. Let’s examine how email attacks can be mitigated through prevention.
Password managers are software solutions that create and store strong passwords in a digital vault, protected by a single password. The system retrieves the password when the user is logging into their account, which is considerably safer and more efficient. What’s best about password managers is that they create strong passwords with at least 12 characters and a mix of numbers, symbols, and upper- and lower-case letters.
Choosing the right password manager for business email is an affordable option for small businesses, and it can also protect employees and their credentials. Moreover, employing this system can help prevent cybersecurity issues in the organisation by minimizing the chances of risks occurring.
An email gateway focused on cybersecurity adds an extra layer of protection against attacks, such as malware, by scanning the content of emails. In other words, it acts as a firewall for the email provider, blocking malicious emails from entering the user's inbox. A reliable email gateway should also ensure that users continue to receive important emails, so being more discerning about the provider may be necessary.
Such a gateway typically offers features including phishing protection, spam filtering, and blocking of viruses and malware. They are necessary, considering how many cyber insurance claims in business come from phishing attacks that occur through email.
Regardless of the number of employees a small business has, training in email cybersecurity is a non-negotiable requirement. As long as they’re aware of the possible email attacks, they can recognize the signs of a risky email and alert others to it as well. Still, it’s the employer’s responsibility to ensure people in the office have received such training before assuming everyone knows how to read a phishing email.
For example, they must be able to recognise phishing scams in emails that contain an urgent tone, as well as notice suspicious links that have a suspicious domain name. To enhance the effectiveness of training, foster a company culture of cybersecurity awareness.
Email security protocols are also essential to ensuring data security and business safety, as they verify the integrity of email content and secure the communication channels. These protocols include the following:
The configuration of these protocols may require technical assets, such as the business’s Domain Name System (DNS) records, but the effort will pay off when unauthorized emails are easily handled.
Unfortunately, despite cyber resilience habits and a well-secured email network, it is possible for attackers to still get into your company’s emails. Considering how sophisticated attacks have gotten in the past decade, sometimes it’s best to adopt a more complex cybersecurity plan that includes:
Developing a cybersecurity tailored to the needs of your small business is necessary, as personalisation offers the organisation a special response system in case of an attack.
Unfortunately, email attacks are more than just phishing, which is why everyone in a small business must be cautious when receiving emails. We know that in phishing, scammers impersonate a reputable person or brand to gain the recipient’s trust, encouraging them to click on the links attached to the email. In return, the hackers install malware on the employees’ computers. What’s best about phishing is that it can be easily detected if users know the signs to look out for.
However, there are many other attacks to learn about:
As cybersecurity tools improve for companies to protect their data and brand image from attacks, so will the sophistication of hacking. In the future, we may witness phishing attacks based on artificial intelligence, which could make it more challenging for regular users. Therefore, introducing the right software and implementing a company culture now should lay the groundwork for a strong capacity to withstand complex attacks and recover quickly.
Small businesses are incredibly important to the local economy, but their lack of experience and resources makes them the perfect target for attackers. Since the easiest way to enter a small business system is through email attacks, employees must be well-trained to avoid these traps. Additionally, a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy is necessary to navigate challenges and prepare for a response in the event of an attack.
* This post is written in collaboration with our guest contributor, who has financially supported its publication.
Cover Photo by Philip Oroni on Unsplash
Alex Quin is a full-stack marketing expert and global keynote speaker. Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of UADV Marketing - a member of the Forbes Agency Council.
