Top 5 Email Mistakes That Put You at Risk

How can you ensure that you’re not putting yourself at risk?

Between social media, instant messages, and mobile messaging apps, there are plenty of ways for people to get ahold of each other. However, in most professional settings, email is still the primary method of communicating. How can you ensure that you’re not putting yourself at risk?

  1. Easy passwords
    1. Names and birthdays are common passwords, which make them easy to remember – and easy for other people to guess. Increase your password security by using phrases or using a different combination of numbers, or using uncommon symbols.
  2. Sharing passwords or leaving them out in plain sight
    1. If you’re working with a team, keeping password sheets or sharing passwords may be necessary. Consider making the document password protected. Also, ditch the sticky notes for your passwords. At no point should your passwords be visible to someone walking by your desk.
  3. Passing sensitive information through email
    1. This mistake applies to both personal and company information. Sensitive information, including social security numbers, personal addresses, confidential company documents, and other personal information should not be shared through email.
  4. Opening suspicious attachments
    1. Did you receive an email from a coworker with a file you don’t recognize? Be suspicious of files that come through, even from trusted sources. If you receive an email from someone you do not recognize, consider searching the domain or asking a coworker if they recognize the sender.
  5. Clicking on links from sources you don’t trust
    1. Be wary of emails that include links from sources you don’t trust. Some links may be a phishing scam, or could lead you to malware sites. If you receive an email from a friend or relative that seems suspicious, do not click on anything that seems odd or prompts you for a password.

These are some common tips to keep in mind when it comes to cybersecurity. Do you have more questions? We’ll be hosting a free webinar on July 27 in conjunction with Mimecast, covering all the bases on email security. Join us!

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Experiencing a security breach?

Get immediate assistance from our security operations center! Take the following recommended actions NOW while we get on the case:

RECOMMENDED IMMEDIATE NEXT ACTIONS

  1. Determine which systems were impacted and immediately isolate them. Take the network offline at the switch level or physically unplug the systems from the wired or wireless network.
  2. Immediately take backups offline to preserve them. Scan backups with anti-virus and malware tools to ensure they’re not infected
  3. Initiate an immediate password reset on affected user accounts with new passwords that are no less than 14 characters in length. Do this for Senior Management accounts as well.

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