Email Security Intelligence - 2020: A New Decade of Digital Threats - Is Your Business Email Secure?

2024 has the potential to bring in many email security improvements. However, for every success on the security end, cybercriminals work even harder to create more detrimental threats by focusing on the cybersecurity vulnerabilities that professionals might have overlooked.

Each year brings new advancements in technology and new setbacks from threat actors. Unfortunately, digital threats and security shortcomings will likely persist or worsen into the new year, so organizations must know what to anticipate when entering 2024. This article will discuss the current threat landscape, email threats to look out for, how to implement email protection software, and the solution Guardian Digital offers users.

What is the Current Status of Cybersecurity Threats?

Collaborating over email is the easiest, most popular way for business employees to communicate with one another. However, this reliance on email leads threat actors to prefer email platforms as an attack vector. Verizon statistics state that over ninety percent of digital threats initiate a phishing email attack.

Organizations fail to recognize the necessity for adequate email security or believe that the built-in features on their systems are sufficient. Unfortunately, pre-installed services are not as vital as they appear and typically have cybersecurity vulnerabilities that can leave organizations scrambling to recover. Devastating attacks can result in data loss, decreased productivity, reputation harm, and financial setbacks.

These email threats and cybersecurity risks have continued to evolve over the past year, so let’s quickly review the most common types of email attacks we have noticed in 2023:

• Generative AI: Threat actors have started utilizing Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create widespread attacks and phishing campaigns that AI tools can replicate and automate across various cybersecurity platforms. AI permits cybercriminals to reach a more significant number of victims in a shorter time. AI and ML techniques permit threat actors to create new malware strains and other types of ransomware that email protection software has yet to detect and update to combat.
• More Ransomware: Ransomware-as-a-Service has permitted new types of ransomware to develop, and more cybercriminals borrow higher-level threat actors’ malware strains to infiltrate systems and compromise accounts. Hackers have created new attacks that do not require email encryption to infect servers, which has resulted in such threats bypassing malware URL scanners and other antiphishing software.
• Sophisticated Social Engineering Attacks: Cybercriminals have invented new threats that exploit human psychology with spear phishing emails and smishing scams. Vishing attacks focus on deceiving victims through video games. This type of threat has bypassed more cybersecurity platforms than ever before.
• VPN and Firewall Weaknesses: Organizations must embrace a Zero-Trust infrastructure in their web and email security strategies. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and firewalls give threat actors more opportunities to enter systems. Unfortunately, VPNs and firewalls have many cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and threat actors have discovered attack methods.

What Cybersecurity Threats Should I Look for in 2024?

Understanding the current web and email threat landscape can help us better prepare for the year ahead. Here are a few of the most significant web and email security issues we think will be prominent in 2024:

Increased Generative AI Email Security Risks

As we discussed, AI and ML evolved into useful tricks for cybercriminals in the past year, and we expect these automated attacks will not go away. AI can scan through hundreds and thousands of firewalls and VPNs to discover the most significant weaknesses in such systems. Threat actors can use this information to create customized attacks and repeat them across servers with the same weaknesses, leading to account takeovers and compromised accounts.

Improvements to Ransomware-as-a-Service Threats

Ransomware-as-a-Service tactics developed in 2023, and this year, we predict that cybercriminals will innovate and improve the quality of their attacks, making it more difficult to detect or stop those types of ransomware from compromising business information. Attacks that do not need encryption can surpass malware URL scanners that employees rely on to prevent phishing attacks from downloading harmful infections. Unfortunately, Ransomware-as-a-Service poses a massive issue regarding this email protection software’s capabilities.

More Prominent Man-in-the-Middle Attacks

If your business does not implement a Zero Trust structure in its web and email security services, it could easily permit cybercriminals into its systems. Cybersecurity tools cannot always detect man-in-the-middle attacks, which target specific servers and systems to steal data and login credentials as they pass from a sender to a recipient. Companies have cybersecurity vulnerabilities that allow these risks to surpass scanners and antiphishing software frequently.

How Can I Protect and Secure Email Against Risks?

Now that we have gone over the status of email threats and what to expect in the new year, we can consider web and email security solutions that are best for our business needs. Most companies require a comprehensive, defense-in-depth approach to business email security that involves advanced threat protection and malware URL scanners. Such software can protect against sophisticated malware ransomware, established or developing viruses, and Zero-Day exploits.

Organizations must implement intuitive, adaptive cloud email security solutions that give employees end-to-end control over how to stop phishing emails and other types of threats from reaching inboxes. Fortunately, there are a lot of options businesses can consider when mitigating risks and preventing attacks:

• Install a malware URL scanner and antivirus software if you have not already.
• Hold web and email security awareness programs so employees know what to do.
• Invest in the latest updates and cybersecurity tools that can safeguard environments.
• Prevent misconfiguration by hiring security professionals to handle your servers.
• Consider multi-layered email protection software for business cloud email accounts.

These best practices for email security are the first steps for ensuring your organization, employees, and clients all remain safe in the modern digital landscape.

What Solution Does Guardian Digital Offer to Users?

Guardian Digital EnGarde Cloud Email Security provides comprehensive, proactive email protection against the most advanced, difficult-to-detect attacks. Here are the various features and benefits EnGarde provides to users who want to have a secure email account:

• Experience multi-layered threat protection that can anticipate email threats before they reach your server.
• Install multiple leading antivirus engines and spam filtering technologies.
• Work with an adaptive-learning heuristic system that continues to adapt over time.
• Secure endpoint encryption using robust cryptography options.
• Check your systems with real-time URL filters and analysis.
• Stay informed about your risk platform with robust auditing and reporting.
• Work with next-generation statistical analysis.
• Classify emails with a dynamic reputation system that looks at message origins.
• Manage your protection techniques from a central, cloud-based administration with flexible email security policies.
• Utilize a transparent, collaborative development approach with tighter security and adaptive implementation, eliminating risk.
• Contact passionate, knowledgeable, 24/7/365 customer support who manages and monitors your servers around the clock.

Keep Learning About Emerging Email Threat Protection

Proper email security is crucial as new issues evolve. Avoid starting the new year with inadequate cybersecurity platforms that could leave your business at risk of new attacks. Contact us today to discuss how EnGarde can help improve your security posture with effective email protection software that benefits every business.

• Implementing a comprehensive, threat-ready email security system is an excellent way to protect against advanced threats.
• Use best practices to improve email security and protect against attacks and breaches.
• Get the latest digital security updates to keep yourself and your business safe.