打开一封电子邮件让你被砍塞吗？

电子邮件黑客是最普遍的cyberattackson the Internet. Data from theInternet Crime Complaint Center(IC3) found that business email compromise (BEC) is the costliest type of cyberattack, with 19,369 total complaints racking up $1.8 billion in losses.

The cost of BCE might be this high because a compromised email is like handing criminals the keys to the front door. It allows them to perform further exploits, like changing security settings, to get admin access to sensitive data and exfiltrate that data without anyone noticing.

小生意ss owners are particularly vulnerable to email hacking because they might not have sophisticated IT security tools, systems, or protocols to protect them.

虽然网络安全可能不是其中之一top ten concerns small business owners have，早期思考可以抢占伴随着遭受攻击的痛苦。

This article discusses how to recognize email hacking attempts and what to do to protect your business.

How dangerous is just opening a suspicious email?

Just opening an email can be dangerous, but not always directly.

这就是为什么。

打开电子邮件后，所有电子邮件攻击都需要某种行动。例如，大多数电子邮件恶意软件攻击需要用户单击链接或下载附件以启动攻击。

However, phishing attacks can employ a more dangerous method called social engineering. In this method, a criminal attempts to persuade the user to confirm their credentials, update their password, or perform any other compromising action while hiding behind the guise of a legitimate client, co-worker, or vendor.

从这个意义上讲，只需打开一个可疑的电子邮件可能是危险的，因为用户可以轻松地将受害者陷入社会工程利用，使他们容易通过电子邮件发送黑客攻击。

The email hacking process explained

Here’s a more detailed rendition of the email hacking process:

第1步：可疑电子邮件击中员工的电子邮件，这可能不会要求任何东西。它通常只是一个测试水域的第一个联系电子邮件。

第2步：If the employee replies to the email, the attacker knows they might be willing to take further actions. They might, for instance, ask them to confirm their employee credentials, like their employee number.

Step 3:Once the attacker has built rapport with the victim, they now go for sensitive information. For example, they might tell them there is a suspected attack and that all employees should change their email password and send the user to a fake password reset page.

第4步：一旦他们有凭证,他们将使用compromised email to email more unsuspecting employees until they have sufficient access to launch the main attack—a data breach or financial fraud.

如何识别可疑的电子邮件

一旦攻击者控制内部电子邮件，判断从该地址发送的电子邮件是真实的还是假的，它会挑战。然而，在它实现这一目标之前，首先防止了黑客是最有效的措施。

以下是识别可疑/恶意电子邮件并防止黑客：

• 要求紧急行动：Such emails create a sense of emergency with drastic repercussions if the user does not act immediately.
• 写得不好：具有LOUSY语法，缺少双排或丢失字符的电子邮件应提高红旗。
• 不熟悉的伴侣或问候：过于正式的问候亲爱的,注意力， 和Greetings在员工使用更少的正式语言的工作环境中可能出现奇数。
• 格式化，域和链接不一致：大多数商业电子邮件具有相同的设计，域和链接结构，因此看起来不同的任何看起来都应该被视为可疑。
• 请求敏感信息：If it’s uncommon for co-workers to request login credentials or other sensitive information via email, this is a red flag too.

3 Measures to protect employee emails

保护员工电子邮件的第一步是培训他们以识别可疑的电子邮件，如上所述。您可以在员工手册中包含这些详细信息，因此每个新员工都知道如何响应潜在的网络钓鱼攻击。

除此之外，您还应实施以下三项措施来进一步安全员工电子邮件：

1. Install security software
2. 实施定期密码更改
3. Use two-factor authentication (2FA)

Install security software

防护工具栏，防病毒，防火墙和电子邮件过滤器都可以帮助减少员工暴露在黑客攻击中。例如，电子邮件过滤器删除99％的垃圾邮件和其他可疑电子邮件，使员工更容易评估任何电子邮件将其发件箱提供。

实施定期密码更改

Periodic password changes (e.g., monthly) can make it difficult for attackers to maintain a long-term attack. Besides implementing such a program, consider using automatic account locks on expired passwords to force employees to update their passwords or lock unused emails.

Use two-factor authentication (2FA)

2FA is a powerful deterrent to hackers because it relies on information tied to the user. For example, a physical key, authenticator app, or SMS OTP are challenging targets for criminals because the codes change constantly, and employees typically would not send such information via email.

What to do if an employee’s email is compromised

如果您实施上述措施，您的员工的电子邮件是安全的，您可能是少数未受到损害的措施。对于大多数人来说，受损的电子邮件是何时何地而不是。

If your company falls in this category, this is what you can do if an employee’s email becomes compromised:

1. 退出目前登录到电子邮件地址的所有会话
2. Change the password and security questions
3. Implement two-factor authentication
4. 扫描来自该帐户的所有传出电子邮件，用于附件和链接
5. Review all outgoing emails to see whether other employees may have been compromised
6. 警告所有受损电子邮件的员工，以便保持警惕

这些措施通常足以阻止轨道中的电子邮件黑客。但是，在某些情况下，黑客可能使用该帐户访问其他帐户，因此您可能需要查看连接到受损的所有帐户并保护它们。

长期电子邮件安全

One of the challenges small business owners face is maintaining online security measures as the business grows. Online security can become a headache with more employees, customers, and vendors.

使用公司扩展安全的最佳方式是维护一个网络安全剧本，该剧本教授每个人如何维护在线安全。

It might be as simple as a one-page document pinned on the notice board. As you grow, it can develop into a detailed training manual that empowers employees to keep themselves and the company safe from email hacking attacks.

This is not intended as legal advice; for more information, pleaseclick here.