The saying “if you want something to be done right, you have to do it yourself” rings true to all of us for a simple reason: we know our own expectations better than anyone else possibly can.

If you have a policy (or at least a good idea) about what kind of information should not be shared over email in your business, you have taken an important step in improving your cybersecurity posture, but it’s only one of the first steps on your journey.

If you work with other people, that policy or general idea about the right way to handle sensitive information exchanges over email is not a guaranteed path to having those you work with meet those expectations.

How can you be sure that they not only know about the policy, but that they also know how to apply it to their email usage?

How can you ensure this without learning that they don’t the hard way: by falling victim to a phishing attack?

How can you tell whether they are following cybersecurity best practices in their email correspondence without having to look through their outbound mail and inbox?

If you are wondering about this, you aren’t alone; and there are simple, cost-effective solutions available to address these concerns.

Phishing simulations

The best way to tell if the people you work with would be susceptible to taking the metaphorical bait in a phishing attack before it happens is to simulate one with a trusted cybersecurity service provider.

These providers have the most up-to-date information on these tactics, and they can craft and send out a fake phishing email to people in your business and monitor whether they fall for it.

This is a vulnerability test, a form of ethical hacking, where a trusted party attempts to gain access to sensitive business information with the same methods that a cybercriminal would use to determine how well you are protected against said criminals.

If the cybersecurity service provider who runs the simulation does manage to access sensitive business information, you can gain crucial insight into where you are vulnerable and address that vulnerability before a real cybercriminal can exploit it.

Cybersecurity email integrations

Another way to fortify your cybersecurity posture is to integrate your business email with a modular cybersecurity platform. This type of service is a cost-effective way to weed out emails which show signs of phishing before they even reach the inboxes of you and your co-workers, and to detect incidents of unauthorized information sharing over email.

Naturally, the filtering of emails which show signs of phishing can drastically reduce the chance of such an attack being successful.

Furthermore, by flagging apparent exchanges of sensitive information over email, such a platform can be used to find instances of policy violations, or a need for a reminder on what should and what should not be sent over email.

Takeaway

Alongside awareness training for yourself and those you work with, vulnerability testing, and modular cybersecurity integrations with your business e-mail are great ways to rest assured of your cybersecurity posture.

Of course, when looking for a solution for something this important, taking a chance on just any service provider is understandably not something most people are willing to do. If this is the case, nobody could blame you.

If you would like to consult with us about this or another cybersecurity concern you might have, feel free to reach out to us, we would be happy to help!