How e-mail hacking works?

E-mail hacking is on the rise for companies, and this is not a surprise. As businesses go digital, e-mail data is becoming more valuable for hackers. SMEs and big corporations are being attacked as well, and the impacts can be very serious in every case. There are however reliable ways to prevent email hacking and reduce their impact.

Let’s suppose that every organization is a potential victim, and can be hacked sooner or later. However, as these trends rise, data protection solutions start to appear as well. In today’s article, we are going to summarise some ideas that can help you maintain a better e-mail protection.

1. importance of end-to-end encryption

This technology encrypts all data before it is sent to a server, with an encryption key that the server does not possess. The e-mail is therefore encrypted before it arrives at the server, and if there is a breach of the email server, it will not cause sensitive email contents and attachments to be leaked.

End-to-end encryption means that the server does not have access to the decryption keys. There is no way for the hacker then to access and decrypt the information of the e-mails that are on the server.

2. Protect administrative accounts

Administrators are the key to sensitive contents of the company. Therefore, their accounts are extremely lucrative to hackers when trying to breach company e-mail systems. Administrator accounts can be compromised in several ways, including insider threat, carelessness, or even targeted hacking. To make things worse, if an email administrator is compromised, all email accounts can be breached.

To protect these accounts, strong restrictions are required. Secured computers which are only used by administrators can mean a good start for ensuring safety in the long run. Also, always use two-factor authentications on administrator accounts. Keep administration passwords off from systems with full company network access.

3. Train employees

Human factor usually is the weakest link in company safety policies. Even with strong encryptions and policies, the carelessness of employees can help hackers get into even the safest systems. Trainings can educate co-workers and by that, they can improve organizational security. A detailed security guide can be the key to which employees are required to read and understand. With trainings, people can grow familiar with fraud systems like spear-phishing campaigns, e-mail poses, spam phone calls and downloadable viruses through e-mailing and surfing the internet.

Introducing proper security measurements for enterprises are difficult, but technological advances such as end-to-end encryption, 2-factor authentications can make it possible to be prepared against hacking attempts. By taking the security measurements, one can make sure that the organization is better prepared for the possible breaches.

You might also be interested in:

• The basics of credit card hacking

• How cell phone hacking can affect you?

• How bad is it to use open WIFI networks?