Email security is not about using the best-of-the-breed encryption and digital signing algorithms; it also has to do with how users use their emails.
Multiple factors affect the security of emails. These factors may be mismanagement of email accounts, emailing the wrong people, not performing regular record-keeping or backups of mailboxes, inability to identify and avoid fraudulent emails, failure to prevent malware, and failure to keep the hackers at bay.
Let us examine each factor and try to identify points under each of those significant mistakes to narrow down on the granular mistakes.
Mismanagement of Email Accounts
– Only using one single email account.
– Having access to or holding spammed-out email accounts for very long.
– Keeping the webpage open for a long even after logging off from email accounts.
– Forgetting regular maintenance options like deleting cache, browser history, and passwords.
– Use of not so secure or, in other words, insecure mail accounts for sending and receiving corporate information that might be sensitive.
– Not using the telephone often where they are a better option than sending an email.
Emailing the wrong people
I- Forgetting to use the bcc or the blind carbon copy option.
– Unnecessary use of the “reply all” feature.
– Accidental spamming through the forward option.
Not performing regular record-keeping or regular backups of mailboxes
– Forgetting to backup mailboxes.
– Use of mobile emails; under the false sense of online backup.
– Presuming that deleted emails are deleted forever.
Inability to identify and avoid fraudulent emails
– Making oneself believe that they have won a million bucks through email lottery and other scam emails.
– Inability to identify phishing emails.
– Sending and receiving financial and personal information via insecure email.
– Unsubscribing newsletters, never been subscribed personally.
Inability to avoid malware
– Blind trust in a friend’s email.
– Mere deletion of SPAM emails rather than blocklisting them (what is a spam filter?)
– Accidental or deliberate deactivation of SPAM filter option of email accounts.
– Forgetting to scan all emails and their attachments.
Inability to keep the hackers at bay
– Deliberate sharing of account information.
– Using passwords that are easy to guess.
– Failure in encrypting essential emails.
– Failing to encrypt the wireless connection.
– Failing or forgetting to use digital signatures.