Email Archives

Manage Inbox to Zero

It sounds like a dream, but it can be a reality, and quite a refreshing one when you can maintain it. The key here is to have a system where you immediately act upon emails as soon as you get them so you can quickly get them out of your inbox, either by moving them to subfolders or deleting them. Many emails just require a quick response, so once you respond you can get them out of your inbox. Other emails are more involved and require some action. For these, it is best to transfer the details to some other to-do system, like tasks in Outlook, Microsoft Planner, or your organization’s line-of-business application.

Unsubscribe From Unwanted Lists

Some sources report that as much as 85% of all emails are spam. Most of these emails are not harmful to your security, they are advertisements that just end up being highly annoying at best, and completely clutter your inbox at worst. Most of us just delete these emails, which certainly beats leaving them in your inbox. But the best thing to do with these is to unsubscribe from the mailing lists you don’t want. Legitimate businesses like retail and restaurants send marketing materials periodically, and they all have email preferences you can configure to send you only what you want, or send you nothing at all. Somewhere in all the marketing emails you receive, usually at the bottom, there is an “Unsubscribe” button you can use to adjust your preferences. You should do this immediately for lists you don’t want. Many of these services sign you up automatically for their mailing lists when you do things like set up an account and make a purchase, so be alert for “Opt Out” checkboxes to make sure you don’t end up on these lists in the first place.

Use Mailbox Rules

Mailbox rules can be used to automate repetitive tasks that you would otherwise do manually. One of the most common applications of mailbox rules is to automatically deliver messages from a particular sender or on a particular topic to one of your mailbox folders. It is important to make sure you don’t miss important messages, but implementing something like this can help reduce the noise in your inbox, save you the time of doing steps manually, and remove human error from your methods of organization. There are many triggers you can set up in your rules for things like categories, keywords, and attachments, and there are a wide range of actions they can perform on emails such as flagging, forwarding, and deleting. Experiment with mailbox rules to learn all they can do, and when you work on emails, always be on the lookout for new opportunities to use mailbox rules to your benefit.

Enable Email Archiving

In the second article of this series we discussed how an archiving method for your document and file storage can help separate your working data from long-term storage. The same concept applies with your email. If you have a process to archive emails once they reach a certain age or are no longer needed, the size of your working mailbox remains small, which means it is easier to search and you have less risk of hitting storage limits. You can archive emails with a manual process, but it is best to use an automated process based on age or some other criteria. If you are part of an organization, your administrator(s) should apply email archiving processes to everyone in the organization that are compliant with your company’s data compliance policies.

Master the Search Function

Even with the best of habits in organizing your mailbox, you should know how to effectively use the search function. The search function is most used for emails, but you can also search for other items like Calendar Items and Contacts. The most common search is a keyword search that just looks for the occurrence of a word or phrase, but there is also syntax you can use to find specific criteria, like email from a particular sender or in a particular thread. If you use Outlook, there are lots of resources online like to help you learn how to use the more advanced features of Search. (How to Use Outlook.com Search Operators (lifewire.com))

Conclusion

These are just a few of many strategies that you leverage to keep your email inbox organized. Taking the time to learn how to better manage your email inbox will go a long way in preventing it from becoming congested and overwhelming. When your email inbox is well organized, finding the messages you need can be done in a flash and with little effort. In addition to this, deleting, moving, or archiving the messages that you no longer need will help you be more productive and have time to get more done.

If you are not currently working with Kite Technology and would like to learn more about our IT and Consulting Services, please get in touch with us to schedule a conversation. We would welcome the opportunity to learn more about your business and how we can help.

Digital Hygiene Series:

Every now and then, an email with a catchy subject line appears in your inbox and you end up clicking on it, either because you’re curious about the subject line or because you assume the sender is trustworthy. Unfortunately, this is how most cyberattacks tend to begin – with a single click. What unfolds next only puts your security and the security of your business in grave danger.

Whether you clicked on a link or the unsubscribe button in the email, you would have potentially opened the floodgates to the possibility of single or multiple cyberattacks that could hold your business’ future hostage. According to ProofPoint’s Human Factor 2019 report, more than 99 percent of cyberattacks require human interaction to succeed. That’s why email security should be at the very top of your insurance agency’s cybersecurity concerns.

This blog will help you understand what you’re up against and how you can launch a robust counterattack.

The Art of Cyber Deception

There’s a greater psychological undercurrent to cyberattacks than you might think. Cybercriminals are hitting their targets by deceiving you and making you act irresponsibly. Threat actors continually develop and deploy sophisticated social engineering tactics to fool unassuming recipients. They observe what works and tweak their designs to make them more efficient. Regarding phishing emails alone, Google reported that 68 percent of phishing emails blocked by Gmail were new variations that were never seen before.

Cybercrime is constantly evolving to match advancements in technology. Being overconfident about your defenses or defensively underprepared is certainly not a viable stance. It’s time to adopt a proactive approach rather than a reactive one to counter this deception.

7 Cyberthreats That Infiltrate Your Inbox Regularly

Before we talk about how you can build a formidable defense against email attacks, let’s take a look at the top cyberthreats that frequently make their way into your inbox and wreak havoc.

1. Phishing, spoofing and identity deception

Phishing involves hackers deploying various social engineering tactics to tempt users into clicking on malicious links and unwittingly giving up confidential information, such as user credentials. Hackers invest a tremendous amount of effort into assuming the identity of a trusted source, making sure that it is YOU who lets them into the system. Once they’re in, they can either install malware on your network’s systems, access and misuse sensitive data, or simply lock your systems and demand a hefty ransom.

Data suggests that this menace is only growing stronger. Verizon’s 2020 Data Breach Investigation Report stated that 22 percent of all breaches in 2020 involved phishing. Even well-informed users fall prey to such attacks adds to this conundrum. In a study conducted by BullPhish ID, it was observed that 18.6 percent of users that clicked on simulated phishing campaigns demonstrated a willingness to submit credentials or requested data.

2. Business Email Compromise (BEC) and spear phishing

Business email compromise (BEC) attacks ballooned by nearly 100 percent in 2019 according to a GreatHorn report. In a (BEC) scam, the attacker hacks into your agency’s email accounts to impersonate employees or any of your organization’s important leaders with intent to defraud your company and its stakeholders into sending money or sharing sensitive data. Spear phishing works in a similar fashion. An attacker dupes the user by making it look like a malicious email originated from a trusted source.

If you want to get a fair idea about the damage a BEC scam can do, take a minute and think of the massive financial and reputational loss your agency would suffer if an attacker impersonates you and carries out fraudulent activities in your name.

3. Account takeovers

Taking identity impersonation one step further, account takeovers exploit your compromised user credentials to target both your financial stability and reputation. Cybercriminals take control of one account, and then access others. For instance, they could get into one of your client’s bank accounts and carry out fraudulent transactions. Criminals aren’t only targeting your agency. They’re using your compromised credentials as a gateway to also exploit your clients too.

4. Malicious malware and viruses

Although used interchangeably, malware and viruses differ on technical grounds.

· Malware is any type of malicious software, irrespective of how it works.

· Viruses are a specific type of malware that self-replicate after entering other programs.

Both pose an enormous threat to your agency’s IT environment. CSO Online revealed that 92 percent of all malware is delivered via email and that’s why we’ve included it in our list. As mentioned earlier, all it takes is a simple click for an attacker to gain access to your network’s systems and plant malware or a virus.

5. Ransomware

A ransomware attack occurs when a hacker breaches your network’s security, encrypts your data and demands a hefty ransom for the restoration of that data. In Q2 2020, average ransom demands were pegged at $178,254, which was 60% higher than in Q1 2020 and a whopping 432% higher than in Q3 2019 ($41,198).

Even if you opt to pay the ransom, you have no guarantees the attackers would provide the means to decrypt and restore data, nor can you be certain the data will not be sold, exposed or targeted for a direct attack at some later date.

6. Insider threats: The human element

Insider threats are posed by individuals within your organization or closely related to it, such as current or former employees, vendors and partners. Acting unwittingly or out of malice, they can easily let an attacker into the system, leaving all your sensitive data exposed.

In fact, according to Verizon in their 2020 Data Breach Investigation Report, over one-third of data breaches worldwide involved internal actors. An Egress study revealed that 31 percent of employees have mistakenly sent an email containing sensitive data to the wrong person.

7. Misconfigurations

Last but certainly not the least deadly, misconfigurations in your email platform can expose your network to a host of threats. For example, it could allow the sending of emails without authentication. If a cybercriminal exploited this vulnerability, they could send out emails impersonating anyone from the company’s executive level plunging you into a full-blown PR crisis.

It’s Time to Engage All Defenses

Your firewall and antivirus won’t stop an attack caused by most of the cyberthreats listed above. An attack takes place almost every 39 seconds (or approximately 2,240 times a day, as per the University of Maryland). The longer you wait, the more likely you are to be a hacker’s next victim. You need to go on the offensive. A managed IT services partner can help you craft a robust two-pronged approach – implementing the best cybersecurity solutions and providing your employees with extensive security awareness training.

At Kite, our comprehensive, multi-layered approach is designed to extend 24/7 protection to our clients. Our cybersecurity services follow best practices, help you meet regulatory compliance and protect your insurance agency through:

Firewall & Network Monitoring, Support and Maintenance
Email Security
AV / Malware Protection & Remediation
Enhanced Endpoint Security
Security Awareness Training
Risk Assessments
Vulnerability Scanning
Enhanced DNS Security
Dark Web Monitoring
Enhanced Endpoint Security

Don’t wait for a cybercriminal to strike. Contact us today and safeguard your business.

Article curated and used by permission.