How can I keep file transfers private with email?

Although email providers can usually help ensure attachments are not altered in transit, it may be difficult to prevent them from being read by third parties. Emails can be forwarded, so the sender has no way to limit ultimate access. Many email services do not offer end-to-end encryption, so they are not safe for very sensitive documents, such as legal and financial files. In these cases, it is best to use a private file transfer system where the file is encrypted locally upon upload to a server. The recipient is then given an access key (such as a unique, one-time link), allowing them to decrypt the file locally after downloading from the server.

How does GDPR affect email?

The General Data Protection Regulation, a major piece of privacy legislation in the EU, highly regulates the sharing of personal information by businesses, which can include the use of email. Companies must use appropriate “technical” measures to protect against “unauthorized or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction or damage.” Email encryption is one such technical measure that can help you safely send personal information (including customer information) by email and avoid violation of the law and potentially large fines. The GDPR also restricts data storage to “no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the personal data are processed,” which can have implications for businesses’ email retention policies. Also, businesses must be able to erase (in most cases) personal data upon request from a covered individual, including emails—and that may require the use of a vendor that supports this capability.

What types of email attacks are most common?

Cyber criminals use email to threaten networks in a variety of ways. They most commonly attempt to exploit human error by posing, for example, as a supervisor or major vendor with whom users would want to cooperate. They may also try to spoof a legitimate email address, which could look very authentic to a user. Some criminals may also attempt to inject malware, including ransomware. These more advanced attacks can spread throughout a network if left undetected. Fortunately, market-leading email security solutions are usually able to detect both types of attacks and help prevent end users from interacting with them.

What steps can make email more secure?

Administrators can take several steps to make email more secure and private, even though by design it is not a very secure medium. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a best practice for any part of a network. This step will require users to authenticate with a code each time they log in, such as via a text message sent to their mobile device. Although slightly inconvenient, this step helps to stop would-be hackers from taking over an employee’s account and phishing from their email address. Users can also employ some email best practices of their own, such as limiting forwarding and only sending attachments that do not contain sensitive information. Administrators may also require confirmation for any emails sent to external users so that users do not accidentally send internal information to external parties.

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