Did you know that a third of people in the United States have gotten their devices or accounts hacked before?
Cybercrime is increasing, hackers
target people by using methods that are easy to overlook, especially in emails.
If you want to protect your email
security and information, there are a few mistakes you need to avoid.
Continue reading to learn about some
of the most common email security mistakes people make and how to avoid
them!
1.
Opening Unknown Attachments
One of the worst email security
mistakes that you can make is opening an unknown attachment.
Unless you know and trust the
sender, or are expecting to recieve something, don't open the attachments. Many
scammers include malware viruses and they can hack your computer when you open
them.
The best way to avoid this problem
is by looking at the content of the message, the sender, and the business they
are associated with. When you are at work, you can typically bring these emails
to an IT department for them to review for viruses.
Often, attachments can come from
trusted users but the file names that they are under can be suspicious.
2.
Sharing Passwords
If you are trying to focus on
improving email security, you should make sure that you aren't sharing
passwords.
Sharing your passwords with other
people, even those you trust can put your privacy and information at risk.
Instead of sharing your passwords with people, you can put them in a security
deposit box so that they can always be accessed.
Aside from sharing passwords with
people, you also shouldn't share passwords between accounts. Using the same
password for your Facebook, bank, and email can put you at a major security
risk.
If you know that someone else has
your email password, you should immediately update it and log out of all
devices. Make sure that you also don't leave a sticky note by your computer or
desk with your login information!
3.
Never Cleaning the Inbox
Many advantages come with cleaning
your inbox, especially in the realm of security.
If you want to lower your risk of
getting spam and viruses, you should get rid of useless emails. These emails
take up a lot of your storage and many of them are slowing down your computer.
If you have enough emails, your antivirus software and email security may lag
behind and lead to vulnerabilities.
Take time to delete emails each day
so that you aren't overwhelmed. It only takes a few moments and can help you
sort through all of the information and junk. You should Visit mailstrom.co for quick relief!
Another reason cleaning your inbox
helps security is that if someone were to get into your email, you would easily
notice changes to the account. When there are hundreds of unopened emails, it
can be hard to identify ones that are storing dangerous malware.
4.
Creating Weak Passwords
Protecting work emails is impossible
if you have a weak password that could be figured out.
Did you know that some people use
the word "password" for their password? This is an awful idea because
it is easy to guess and someone could easily access all of your private
information. You should avoid common phrases, parts of your name, or children
and pet names in your password.
Try to come up with something
difficult to spell or something that no one would imagine. For enhanced
security, you will also want to include numbers and special characters. Imagine
your password as a wall between you and a hurricane, a simple password would be
like hiding behind a thin piece of paper.
5.
Clicking Ads
Many businesses are using ads,
photos, and other content in their emails to get more interactions with
customers.
Unless you are familiar with the
sender, don't select any of the ads that come through your email. When hackers
try to access your information, they add links to these ads that give them the
ability to stay in the background.
If you see an ad for something you
are interested in, it is safer to go to the internet instead. Head to the
company's website and try to find the item you saw in the email. If you can't
find what you were looking for, you likely could have gotten a virus.
6.
Falling for Phishing
Email spoofing and phishing and
major problems that put people's email accounts at risk.
When a hacker spoofs or phishes an
account, they are using a name and pretending to be someone that you would
know. Preventing phishing attacks can be hard since many people open the emails
before realizing it isn't their best friend or coworker.
Always pay attention to the spelling
of the name, the icon associated with the email, and the actual email address.
Most email platforms will allow you to see the sender's full address before
having to open their content.
7.
Skipping Double Verification
Have you recently logged into your
email or another account and were asked about two-step authentication?
Two-step authentication is a part of
the logging-in process that improves security. This setting can be enabled for
your email. When you enable this option, you will recieve a text or email when
you try to log into your accounts.
If someone else tries logging in,
they will also need your cell phone or other email address to get the access
code. This is a great way to ensure that you are the only one accessing the
account.
Don't
Make These Email Security Mistakes
Many email security mistakes can put
your health, finances, and identity at risk.
Paying attention to these mistakes
will keep you safe and prevent hackers. Whether you are dealing with a work
email or personal account, you should always take these measures to keep spam
and viruses away.
Don't be afraid to contact a
professional if you are nervous to open something, they can quickly scan it for
issues.
Be sure to check out our blog for more articles about improving email security and keeping your information safe!
