Email protection software solutions protect against cyberattacks that occur via email – the most common vector used in cyberattacks on businesses. Phishing attacks are most commonly conducted via email and email is still the most common method of malware delivery. Email is such a popular vector for gaining initial access to business networks as it is the easiest way for cyber threat actors to reach employees and trick them into providing access to business networks. According to the 2022 Data Breach Investigations Report from Verizon, 85% of all data breaches involve the human element.
Email Protection Software Types
There are different types of email protection software that will protect against different types of email threats. These protections may be provided packaged together in a single email security solution or are provided as standalone email security solutions. TitanHQ offers a range of email security solutions that can be used individually, but all work seamlessly with each other to provide comprehensive protection for businesses.
Spam, Phishing, and Malware Protection
One of the most important defenses against email attacks is a spam filter or secure email gateway. These email protection software solutions can be implemented on-premises or in the cloud and are a gateway through which all emails must pass. In order for emails to be delivered, they must pass various checks of their content. These solutions are used to block productivity-draining spam emails, phishing emails, and malware, including ransomware, remote access Trojans, keyloggers, botnets, and backdoors.
Advanced spam filters such as SpamTitan incorporate multiple layers of protection to identify and block email-borne threats. It should be noted that the email protection software provided by email service providers such as Microsoft and Google only incorporate basic spam filters, which are not effective at blocking sophisticated threats such as zero-day malware and novel phishing attacks.
SpamTitan performs a range of front-end tests on email headers and uses blacklists for blocking known sources of spam, and will quarantine emails from domains and IP addresses with poor reputations. The subject lines are checked for common spam and phishing terms, and SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are used for blocking email impersonation attacks. All email attachments are subject to antivirus checks to identify known malware, and attachments that pass those checks are sent to a sandbox where they are subjected to behavioral analysis. Greylisting is used to further improve protection against mass spamming and phishing attacks, and Bayesian analysis, heuristics, and machine learning are used to identify malicious emails that pass all front-end tests. Embedded hyperlinks are also checked against blacklists of known malicious URLs.
DNS Filtering
DNS filtering, a type of web filtering, is most commonly associated with content control to prevent employees and other network users from visiting malicious and unsavory web content, but DNS filters are also used for improving defenses against email attacks. Phishing emails often include embedded hyperlinks that direct users to malicious websites where credentials are harvested, or malware is downloaded. When a link in an email is clicked, the DNS filter provides time-of-click protection and will prevent users from visiting known malicious websites.
DNS filters are the best type of web filter as they perform checks without downloading any content and page load speeds are not affected. DNS filters are fed threat intelligence to allow them to block malicious sites, so are only as good as the threat intelligence provided. WebTitan from TitanHQ is fed threat intelligence from a global network of more than 500 million endpoints. When a malicious URL is detected on one of those endpoints, all WebTitan users will be protected.
Email Encryption
While phishing attacks are frequently reported in the press due to the massive data breaches that often occur, businesses should be aware that the interception of emails in transit can also result in substantial losses. Hackers often conduct man-in-the-middle attacks and intercept email communications. These attacks often see two parties believing they are communicating with each other, when each party is only communicating with the hacker. These attacks can see sizable payments routed to attacker-controlled bank accounts. TitanHQ offers email protection software that makes it easy for businesses to secure their email communications and protect against interception post-sending. With EncryptTitan, external emails can be configured to be autocratically encrypted if they contain sensitive content to ensure that only the intended recipient can view a message.
Email Archiving
A great deal of important information is stored in email accounts, and oftentimes that information is stored nowhere else. In the event of a ransomware attack or mail server outage, access to emails may be lost. Backups should be performed on the email systems to protect against disaster, but an email archive will ensure that email data is always available. In contrast to backups, email archives can be searched and emails can be found in seconds. TitanHQ offers a low-cost, easy-to-use, email archiving solution called ArcTitan to help businesses comply with data retention regulations, privacy laws such as GDPR, and improve protection against email data loss.
Security Awareness Training
While security awareness training does not typically fall under the banner of email protection software, it does play an important part in any email security strategy. Many email attacks – phishing and malware attacks for example – target individuals, so it is important to ensure that all members of the workforce are trained on how to spot threats. In the event of your email security defenses being breached, security awareness training can be the difference between business as usual and a devastating cyberattack and data breach. TitanHQ’s solution is SafeTitan – A comprehensive security awareness training and phishing simulation platform – The only behavioral-based training platform that delivers security awareness training in real-time.
Why Comprehensive Protection is Necessary
Businesses need to adopt a defense in depth approach to protect against email-based attacks, and that strategy needs to incorporate different types of email protection software to block all types of threats. Cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated and the number of malicious emails being sent continues to grow. No single email protection software solution will provide total protection, so you should consider implementing a combination of these measures to ensure you are properly protected.
For more information on email protection software, including spam filtering, web filtering, email archiving, email encryption, and security awareness training, give the TitanHQ team a call today. TitanHQ solutions are also available on a free trial to allow you to try them in your own environment before deciding on a purchase.