Email Communications Security

Seven million unencrypted data records are compromised every day.

Google says – 40-50% of emails sent between Gmail and other email providers still aren’t encrypted.

The email encryption market is estimated to reach $11.80 billion in 2026 and $24.8 billion by 2032.

Whether we use email for personal or business reasons, it has become a crucial part of our daily life. As a result, it’s critical to take precautions to secure your email account and also your email communications. We will talk about a variety of techniques and software tools in this post that can help you protect your email correspondence.

Email communication can be vulnerable to a variety of threats, including:

1. Phishing: This is when an attacker sends an email that appears to be from a legitimate source, such as a bank or a well-known company, in order to trick the recipient into providing sensitive information, such as login credentials or credit card numbers.
2. Spam: This is an unwanted or unsolicited email, often containing advertisements for products or services. Spam can also be used to distribute malware or phishing attempts.
3. Malware: This is malicious software that can be distributed via email, often hidden in attachments or links. Once installed on a computer, malware can steal sensitive information, encrypt files for ransom, or even take control of the infected computer.
4. Ransomware: A type of malware that encrypts a victim’s files and demands a ransom payment in exchange for the decryption key.
5. Business Email Compromise (BEC): A type of email scam targeting businesses or individuals that conduct wire transfer payments. This can be initiated by compromising legitimate business email accounts, through spear-phishing or malware, and tricking employees to make wire transfers to attacker-controlled bank accounts.
6. Email Bombing: This is when an attacker sends a large number of emails to a single address in an attempt to overload the recipient’s inbox or crash the email server.
7. Email spoofing: An attacker fakes the sender’s address to impersonate someone else. This is done to gain access to sensitive information or spread malware.
8. Email sniffing: Email sniffing is when an attacker captures an email in transit over an unsecured network.
9. Man-in-the-middle attacks: this is an attacker intercepting and altering an email message in the middle of communication.

So what technology can protect your email communications?

Email Encryption

Encrypting emails so that only the intended recipient may read them is known as email encryption. This is significant because it’s possible for third parties to intercept emails as they travel between the sender and the recipient. Email encryption can aid in maintaining the privacy of your correspondence.

Transport Layer Security (TLS):
TLS is a protocol that encrypts the connection between an email server and a client (such as a web browser or email program). When TLS is utilized, the email is encrypted while it is being transmitted over the internet.

S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions):
Emails are signed and encrypted using the S/MIME protocol. It functions by encrypting and decrypting the email with the help of a digital certificate that is attached.

PGP (Pretty Good Privacy):
PGP is a widely used technique for email encryption and signature. It operates by employing a combination of public and private keys to encrypt and decrypt the connection.

If you want to send secure emails, here are a few steps you can take:

Use an email provider that offers encryption:
Some email providers, such as ProtonMail and Hushmail, offer end-to-end encryption by default. This means that the emails you send through these services are encrypted while in transit and only the intended recipient has the keys to decrypt them.

Use Virtual Privat Network: Use a virtual private network (VPN) to encrypt all of your internet data, including email communications (VPN). By doing this, you will prevent hackers on your network from intercepting your emails.

Use a browser extension:
You may encrypt your emails with the help of a handful of popular browser plugins.
Mailvelope is one illustrative example; it’s accessible on Chrome, Firefox, and Opera. You can encrypt and decode your emails using PGP with Mailvelope, which is compatible with the majority of webmail services.

Use a standalone program:
A number of standalone tools are available to assist you with encrypting your emails.
Gpg4win, a free tool for Windows that enables you to encrypt and decrypt your emails using PGP is one illustration.

Use file-sharing:
If possible, avoid sending sensitive information over email altogether. Instead, consider using an encrypted file-sharing service or messaging app.

Verify Authenticity:
Verify the authenticity of the certificate of the email server you are connecting to. The attacker could launch a Man in the Middle attack by forging the email server’s certificate. The certificate hash or fingerprints can be compared to the one you trust to perform the verification. Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC): DMARC is a key anti-spoofing control. Without a strong DMARC policy in place, criminals can send fake emails pretending to come from your domain.

Use email authentication protocols, such as SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail). These protocols allow the recipient of an email to verify that it was actually sent by the domain it claims to be sent from, helping to prevent impersonation attacks.

Don’t forget also protecting Your Email Account In addition to encrypting your emails, there are several steps you can take to protect your email account:

Use a strong password:
Protecting your email account requires a strong password. Use letters, numbers, and symbols in combination; stay away from utilizing common words or private information.

Enable two-factor authentication: Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an extra layer of security to your account by requiring you to enter a code in addition to your password when logging in. Usually, this code is created by an authenticator app or provided to your phone through text message.

Be careful with links and attachments:
Be cautious when clicking on links or downloading attachments in emails, as these can potentially contain malware or lead you to phishing sites. If you are not sure whether an email is legitimate, it is best to verify with the sender before clicking on any links or downloading any attachments.

Use antivirus software: Use anti-malware software to shield your computer from risks such as viruses. This can reduce the risk of someone hacking into your email account.

It is important to be cautious when opening email attachments or clicking on links in emails, and not to provide sensitive information in response to an email unless you are certain of the sender’s identity and that the request is legitimate. Using email encryption and security software and keeping your system up-to-date with the latest security patches can help protect against email-borne threats.