Safeguarding email communication is vital for every business. Cybercriminals are increasingly sophisticated, and email remains one of the most common attack vectors. Organizations should implement a multi-layered security strategy to protect their email systems, particularly when relying on Microsoft 365 for communication. Here are key strategies employers should consider implementing:
Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
MFA is a security standard, but many businesses still haven’t activated it for all email accounts. Without MFA, a hacker only needs a valid email address and password to breach your system. Enabling MFA provides an additional layer of protection, making it significantly harder for attackers to gain unauthorized access.
However, hackers are now targeting session tokens to bypass MFA. Therefore, even with MFA enabled, continuous vigilance is necessary.
Regular Employee Training
Training employees on email security best practices is critical. Regular sessions should cover topics such as:
- Identifying phishing attempts and suspicious attachments.
- Verifying the authenticity of emails, especially those involving sensitive financial transactions like wire transfers.
- Reporting unusual or suspicious activities to the IT team.
Training staff is essential. Confirm requests with the email senders before taking action. Use phone calls or trusted methods. Reaching out to the sender stops fraud.
Implement External Email Warnings
An external email warning message can help employees spot potential phishing attempts. If an email looks like it’s from a colleague but has an outside warning, check it first. Use a different way to talk to them before doing anything.
Register Typo-Squatting and Doppelganger Domains
Criminals often exploit look-alike domains to trick users into believing emails are from trusted sources. For example, “4BlS.com” might resemble “4BIS” in certain fonts (capital L’s and lowercase i’s are identical in the Outlook font).
Businesses may register similar web addresses. This tactic stops criminals from domains for scams. It helps prevent phishing and email fraud.
Contact 4BIS to run an audit for potential doppelganger or typo-squatting domains.
Advanced Spam Filtering
While spam filters can stop many malicious emails, they aren’t foolproof. Harmful emails can slip past filters. Some key tips to remember are to: check your spam folder often and teach staff to look for good emails stuck there. Fine-tuning these filters can reduce false positives while enhancing security.
Establish Policies and Procedures for Financial Transactions
Wire transfers, invoice payments, and other sensitive transactions are prime targets for cybercriminals. Establish strict policies requiring verification through phone calls or other means before executing any large financial requests. Define thresholds for when a second-level verification is necessary, especially for unusual orders or payment changes.
Limit Data Stored in Emails
Many businesses unknowingly store sensitive information like passwords, Social Security numbers, and bank details in email archives. Hackers can misuse this data. Routine checks should regularly remove old, unneeded data from email systems. This action lowers the chance of exposure.
Harden Microsoft 365 Settings
Below are steps businesses can take to secure their Microsoft 365 environment, including:
- Turn on audit logging. Tracking suspicious actions is vital. Audit logging helps with this important task.
- Use separate administrator accounts. Admin accounts should be distinct from daily-use email accounts, reducing the risk of an admin breach.
- Set conditional access policies. Limit logins from countries outside your business’s operation area to reduce the chances of unauthorized access.
- Reduce web session timeouts. Limit inactive sessions to one hour or less, so if a hacker steals a session token, they won’t have prolonged access.
- Consider blocking browser sign-ins. If your users never need to access Microsoft 365 through the web browser then consider blocking access to it. This limits the ability of hackers to steal authentic session tokens.
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 (Formerly Advanced Threat Protection: ATP)
A Microsoft email protection package designed to help lock down threats to Office 365. A great feature is safe-links and safe-attachments. Microsoft opens links and attachments to verify their legitimacy. This is not perfect and some malicious content still gets past the net but it does greatly reduce the obvious attacks.
Utilize Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
MDR solutions continuously monitors email systems for indicators of compromise (IoCs) such as unusual logins, email forwarding rules, and other suspicious activities. By proactively detecting threats, MDR can often mitigate attacks before users even realize a compromise has occurred.
Backup and Recovery
Ensure that all critical emails and data are backed up. A strong backup plan helps you get emails back after a breach. This lessens the harm from the attack.
Conclusion
Cybersecurity is a process, not a one-time fix. Adopting these methods company-wide will help you outsmart hackers. This protects your business from email dangers. Regular training, combined with advanced tools like MFA, MDR, and spam filtering, create a robust defense.
If you need assistance securing your Microsoft 365 environment or implementing these best practices, reach out to 4BIS. We are cyber security experts who can help you build a comprehensive strategy tailored to your business needs.
Keep your email and company safe. Be active in making your security better. This helps stop cybercrime from happening to you.
