How to Implement a Better Email Policy at Work
One of the original ways to get people to hand over personal details online was via email – often utilizing phishing scams and similar. Sadly, this seems to be a method that is still working today, and it can prove to be hugely damaging to a wide range of companies all over the world. Whether you run a business yourself or you are in a senior position, you need to make sure that your email policy gives all the necessary protection to your organization.
Educate Staff About Phishing
One of the main reasons why companies fall victim to phishing attacks is that staff members are simply not properly educated about them. The main point of this is that people should never open emails from people who they don’t know. Also, they should know about how emails can come from sources that look very much like an official sender but can often be faked. Clicking on links through emails can always be dangerous unless the source can be verified with 100 percent certainty. Companies like Proofpoint can help with a DMARC strategy, and this is something that could benefit your organization.
Improve Spam Filters
One of the best ways of filtering out phishing emails is with an effective spam filter. While your email provider will put on their own filter, you need to help them out by reporting any spam emails that arrive in your inbox. This way, you can block suspicious sources from potentially getting access to your company’s most sensitive information. You need to keep your entire company educated about the importance of reporting spam emails and bolstering your defences wherever this is possible.
Watch Out for Shortened Links
One of the major red flags that you need to look out for is shortened links. These often trick you into thinking that you are clicking on something legitimate before redirecting you to another website entirely. Hover your mouse over the web link to ensure that the link that you are being sent to matches the one that appears in the text of the email. If not, you should avoid clicking on it and report it as spam, as discussed in the section just above this one.
Reduce Reliance on Emails
While emails can be a highly effective tool in many ways, if you become over-reliant on them, it is all too easy for staff to become overwhelmed, which means that they are not really reading their emails properly and are more likely to click on suspicious links. Try to cover more in video calls or similar, as these can be a way of cutting back on lengthy email exchanges.
Improving your email policy can go a long way towards protecting your organization as a whole. These are just a few of the ways of boosting this policy, as well as making it less likely that you are going to fall victim to hackers and others with bad intentions towards your company.
