Face it, everyone uses email. We could spend this article debating the pros and cons of email as a form of communication, but it doesn’t really matter what we think – email is here to stay. While email offers businesses a lot of benefits, it also happens to be the most common way cybercriminals steal your data and compromise your business. In the blink of an eye, a hacker can access your network, infect you with Ransomware and hold your data hostage until you pay up.
Whether it’s downloading an infected attachment from an email or clicking on a link that ends up being a phishing scam, your businesses doors have just been opened to a hacker or cyber criminal. We regularly meet with business owners who say, “That could never happen to me”. But I want to be very blunt here: everyone is a potential victim. That’s why it’s so important you take precautions to ensure that cyber criminals don’t find anything information in your email that could compromise you or your business.
It might be easier to send an email than it is to pick up the phone but passing confidential information via email goes against Best Practices for Security, and leaves you vulnerable if your were to be breached.
So, if you ever receive an email from your bank, credit card company, or the government asking you to confirm your credentials, or your identity, DO NOT respond. As a rule, banks and the government will NEVER send you emails asking you to open a link and provide them with any personal information. If anything, they will call you directly, or send you an email asking you to contact them at your earliest convenience. If you receive an email requesting you to update your personal information, there’s a good chance it’s a phishing scam or a cybercriminal trying to gain access to your business.
Your email is a gateway to your online identity. If you store or send confidential information via email, you are making the hackers job that much easier! Watch this video now to learn about the 5 things you should never include in an email, and what you should do to protect yourself from identity theft and data breaches.