Email Security Steps Often Skipped By Small Firms
For a small business, email is the lifeblood of communication. It’s how you connect with clients, receive orders, and manage daily operations. Because it feels so familiar, like a comfortable old tool, it’s easy to assume it’s safe.
This false sense of security is exactly what cybercriminals prey upon. They know smaller teams are busy and often skip important, simple steps that create a formidable defense.
Here are some essential email security measures that frequently fall by the wayside.
Enforcing strict password policies:
Many small firms ask employees to create a password but stop there. They don’t enforce rules that make passwords strong. A simple, short password is a welcome mat for hackers. The skipped step is mandating complex passwords that mix letters, numbers, and symbols, and ensuring the same password isn’t used for every single account.
Ignoring multi-factor authentication (MFA):
A password alone is no longer enough. Multi-factor authentication adds a second step to the login process, like a code sent to a phone. It is one of the most powerful ways to stop unauthorized access, yet countless small businesses avoid setting it up, often fearing it will be inconvenient. Its absence leaves the front door unlocked.
Forgetting to lock the back door: personal accounts:
A company can have excellent security, but if an employee checks their personal Gmail or Yahoo account on a work computer, they create a risk. Personal email accounts are often less secure and can be an easy entry point for malware that then spreads to the company’s entire network.
The set-it-and-forget-it approach:
Software doesn’t maintain itself. Failing to install regular updates for email applications, web browsers, and operating systems is like ignoring a known weak spot in your fence. These updates frequently contain patches for security flaws that criminals are actively exploiting.
No plan for phishing tests:
Employees are the first line of defense. Without occasional simulated phishing tests, they never learn to identify cleverly disguised malicious emails. This training is vital. Skipping it means the team remains unprepared for a very common attack.
Assuming the email provider is enough:
Services like Office 365 or Google Workspace have good security, but it often wants to be activated and configured. The mistake is assuming full protection is automatic. Advanced features like anti-spoofing protocols (DMARC, DKIM) should be manually set up to prevent criminals from impersonating your company domain.