Most mainstream email providers, such as Gmail or Hotmail, don’t encrypt your emails once they reach their servers. This makes it easier for hackers to read your messages.
End-to-end encryption is one of the best ways to secure your messages. It’s achieved by using tools like Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), which encrypts your email with a key before sending it to the recipient.
End-to-End Encryption
Every time you send a text message, Most Secure Email or other type of communication over the internet, it passes through numerous servers and routers. This makes the data vulnerable to theft and snooping.
End-to-end encryption, also called E2EE, protects against this by preventing people from reading messages in transit or tampering with them. Encryption is done by using public and private keys.
Those public keys are created by the sender and recipient, respectively. They keep their private key ‘private,’ so they can only decrypt the message with it when it reaches them on their device.
A major benefit of end-to-end encryption is that it ensures that only the sender and recipient can read an encrypted email, providing complete confidentiality to the message. However, end-to-end encryption does not protect against snooping or man-in-the-middle attacks.
Two-Factor Authentication
Two-Factor Authentication is an extra layer of security that helps protect email accounts from hacking. When 2FA is enabled, it prevents unauthorized access to your account unless you know the password and the other authentication factor, which is usually a unique code sent by a mobile device.
SMS has long been a popular method of implementing two-factor authentication. However, this channel does have a few drawbacks, which is why businesses should consider offering a spectrum of 2FA options.
The most important thing is to make the implementation process as convenient as possible. Gmail has a handy help page on how to enable SMS 2FA for your account, which is a great way to get started.
While securing email with 2FA can seem like a hassle, it’s a necessary step that should be taken to keep your information safe. The key is to work with your stakeholders and understand their priorities so you can roll out the process successfully.
Data Loss Prevention
Email is a common communication channel for businesses, but it’s also the primary way that sensitive information can leak. Whether accidental or malicious, data leaks can cause significant damage to your business.
Data loss prevention, or DLP, prevents unwanted disclosure of sensitive data by blocking or encrypting emails and other forms of communications. Solutions range from network-based applications that analyze network traffic for violations of set information disclosure policies, to content-aware tools that monitor endpoint devices and cloud storage for data transfers outside authorized channels.
DLP is a valuable tool to help prevent accidental or intentional leaks of sensitive data, such as passwords, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, and intellectual property. It also helps keep your organization compliant with regulations such as HIPAA and PII laws.
Multi-Factor Authentication
One of the most effective ways to protect email is to use Multi-Factor Authentication. This means that when you log in to an account, you’ll be asked for more than just your username and password.
While this is a lot of extra work, it’s also much harder for a cybercriminal to break in. This is because they’ll have to know two passwords and they don’t have access to your device.
Conclusion
Multi-factor authentication is supported on most popular websites, apps and devices, from Google to your bank account. You’ll need to go into the settings for each of these accounts and turn it on.
