
Email security is the practice of protecting your inbox from cyber threats like phishing, malware, and data breaches. It acts like a digital shield guarding sensitive conversations, attachments, and personal details. With strong email security, you ensure only trusted parties access your messages, keeping your communications private, authentic, and safe from prying eyes or harmful tampering.
Hosted services that protect email systems without on-premises hardware.
Offer features like phishing protection, malware scanning, and data loss prevention.
Scalable and easy to manage, suitable for organizations of all sizes.
Use artificial intelligence and machine learning to detect and block sophisticated threats.
Analyze patterns and behaviors to identify new, evolving threats.
Act as checkpoints for all inbound and outbound email traffic.
Provide anti-virus scanning, spam filtering, and content analysis to block malicious content and prevent data leaks.
Available as both on-premises and cloud-based solutions.
Focus on preventing unauthorized access, loss, or compromise of sensitive data transmitted via email.
Includes data loss prevention (DLP) tools and policies.
Encrypt the content of emails so that only the intended recipient can read them.
Protects sensitive information during transmission and storage, ensuring confidentiality and compliance with privacy regulations.
Integrates directly with email platforms via APIs for real-time scanning and threat prevention.
Enables deep analysis of email content, attachments, and user behavior.
SMTPS and STARTTLS: Secure email transmission using SSL/TLS to prevent eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Authenticates sender identity and ensures message integrity by digitally signing emails.
SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Verifies that emails are sent from authorized servers to prevent spoofing.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance): Builds on SPF and DKIM to provide domain-level protection and reporting.
Phishing Prevention: Detects and blocks attempts to trick users into revealing sensitive information.
Malware Detection: Scans attachments and links for malicious content.
Spam Filtering: Identifies and blocks unsolicited or bulk emails.
Email Authentication: Ensures emails are from legitimate sources using protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
Incident Response: Provides tools and workflows for responding to email-based threats.
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Adds an extra layer of login security4.
Security Awareness Training: Educates users to recognize and avoid email threats.
Password Management: Encourages strong, unique passwords to prevent account takeover
Email is the most common attack vector for cybercriminals, with over 90% of organizational attacks originating from malicious emails such as phishing, malware, and ransomware.
According to recent reports, 94% of organizations have experienced email security incidents in the past year, highlighting the widespread risk.
Email often contains confidential data, including financial records, intellectual property, employee personal information, and customer data.
Without proper security, this information is vulnerable to interception, unauthorized access, and data breaches, which can have severe legal and financial consequences.
Effective email security measures help prevent data breaches, which can result in significant financial losses, regulatory fines, and legal complications.
Data loss via outbound emails is a major concern, with 91% of organizations experiencing incidents related to data exfiltration and loss, leading to reputation damage and, in some cases, operational shutdowns.
Many industries are subject to strict regulations regarding the protection of personal and sensitive data, such as GDPR, HIPAA, and the CAN-SPAM Act.
Email security is essential for compliance, helping organizations avoid penalties and maintain trust with customers and partners.
Cyberattacks via email can damage an organization’s reputation, erode customer trust, and impact business relationships.
A single email security incident can result in public relations crises and loss of clients.
Email-based threats can disrupt business operations, cause downtime, and reduce productivity.
Robust email security solutions help ensure smooth communication and minimize the risk of operational disruptions.
Email security isn’t just about technology; it also involves training users to recognize phishing attempts and suspicious emails, reducing the risk of human error.
Modern email security solutions offer real-time protection against emerging threats, including zero-day exploits, by continuously monitoring and filtering email traffic
Organizations like Waterman Moylan (engineering), Tayto Snacks (food industry), and Scandi Standard (agri/food sector) faced high volumes of phishing and spam emails, some containing malicious links or ransomware. Email security platforms were implemented to filter, quarantine, and block these threats, drastically reducing the number of harmful emails reaching end users and lowering the risk of security breaches1.
Companies such as Tayto Snacks experienced malware and virus attacks via email. By adopting managed email security, including URL scanning and endpoint protection, they were able to prevent further infections and respond effectively to incidents1.
Intellectual property specialists like FR Kelly and healthcare organizations such as St. Michael’s Hospital used email security to safeguard sensitive information and ensure compliance with industry regulations, protecting client and patient data from unauthorized access and leaks1.
Email security solutions often include user training modules. For example, Waterman Moylan and Coillte ran phishing simulations and awareness programs, helping employees recognize and avoid malicious emails, thereby reducing the risk of human error1.
Coillte, a forestry company, leveraged cloud-based email security to enable secure remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. This allowed for pre-scanning of emails before they entered the internal network, providing continuous protection regardless of employee location1.
Organizations benefited from dashboards and transparent reporting, enabling IT teams to monitor threats, quarantine suspicious messages, and tailor security policies to their needs. This streamlined operations and reduced the support burden on IT staff1.
Major brands like PayPal and Bank of America implemented authentication protocols (DMARC, DKIM, SPF) to prevent email spoofing and phishing attacks impersonating their domains, protecting customers and brand reputation4.
Large, global organizations in sectors like payments used tools such as email threat simulators to test, monitor, and enhance their email defenses. This approach led to a 97% increase in malicious email blocking and millions in potential loss prevention annually
Email is a primary target for cyberattacks, including phishing, malware, and data breaches. Effective email security protects sensitive information, prevents financial loss, and helps organizations comply with regulations.
Regular email is typically unencrypted and can be intercepted or tampered with. Secure email uses encryption and authentication protocols to ensure confidentiality and verify sender identity, making it much harder for unauthorized parties to access or alter messages.
Phishing emails often urge you to provide personal information, click suspicious links, or open unexpected attachments. They may use urgent language or appear to come from trusted organizations. Always verify the sender and be cautious with requests for sensitive data.
Do not click on any links or download attachments. Report the email to your IT or security team, and delete it from your inbox. If you’ve already interacted with it, change your passwords and monitor your accounts for unusual activity.
2FA adds an extra layer of security by requiring a second form of verification (like a code sent to your phone) in addition to your password. This makes it much harder for attackers to access your account, even if they have your password.
Yes, attachments can contain malware or viruses. Only open attachments from trusted senders, and consider scanning them with antivirus software before opening.
Email encryption scrambles the content of your emails so that only the intended recipient can read them. Use encryption when sending sensitive or confidential information.
Immediately change your password, enable 2FA, scan your devices for malware, review connected accounts, and notify your contacts to be cautious of suspicious messages from your address.
Organizations use email security gateways, spam filters, and real-time blackhole lists (RBLs) to block emails from servers with poor reputations or known malicious activity. These tools help prevent spam, phishing, and denial of service attacks.