Whether it’s on our smartphones or desktops – we can’t really function today without scanning our emails on a daily basis. However, we often undermine the hacker's abilities and think we're immune to scams. take the privacy and security of our inboxes and emails for granted.
Email scam is often the easiest way for malicious hackers to trick individuals into giving personal and private data. According to the FBI, email frauds are the most expensive type of cybercrime, costing American billions of dollars in losses.
According to Google Safe Browsing, there are now nearly 75 times as many phishing sites as there are malware sites on the internet. Interestingly, 20% of all employees are likely to click on phishing email links, and, of those, a whopping 68 percent go on to enter their credentials on a phishing website.
So how can we mitigate this and safeguard our emails? Here are 5 simple steps that can assist in protecting your email account and steer clear of threat actors.
1. Apply a strong and unique password
This one may seem cliche, but never employ a password that contains your name, date of birth, user name, email address, or any other piece of information that can be easily accessed by hackers. Your password needs to be six characters or longer. Employ different passwords for each of your accounts, never the same one.
You can store all your passwords in multiple ways, including on a piece of paper, hard drive, password manager, or otherwise. If you're using a password manager app, keep in mind that these can be prone to hacks, as they rely on internet connections and software programs to store your data, both of which can be abused by hackers.
2. Post minimal personal information on social media
Recognize the privacy settings you have. Always scan the default privacy settings before posting anything on a social media platform.
The default privacy settings on multiple social media platforms are often lenient and may permit the sharing of information with a big online community. A social networking platform’s settings should be adjusted before sharing any content there.
3. Employ a spam filter
Spam filters help you keep spam emails from your inbox or flag spam emails so that you are aware of them. Relying on the software and configuration, some spam filters can automatically eliminate junk emails and thwart web bugs that track your activity and system information.
4. Block Suspicious Addresses
While some scammers may only try to contact you once or twice, others will make repeated attempts at getting in touch. This is why you should block email addresses that you have confirmed to be dangerous.
It's usually pretty quick and easy to block an email address, but the process may differ slightly depending on the provider you're using. It can usually be done by highlighting a specific email and choosing the Block option, or by going into your email account settings.
5. Use Antivirus Software
It is highly recommended that you install and maintain good and well-respected antivirus software on your desktop, smartphone, or tablet to mitigate infection. Search all email attachments with an antivirus program before downloading them, even if they come from someone you know.
