Protecting Sensitive Emails
Best Practices Checklist
Keeping your email secure requires a combination of technical measures and business procedures. Follow these secure email best practices to reduce the risk of unauthorized access while mitigating the risk of data breaches and compliance violations.
- Use strong encryption: Implement end-to-end encryption for sensitive emails and attachments to ensure only intended recipients can access the content.
- Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA): Require additional verification methods beyond passwords to access email accounts, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.
- Educate users on phishing: Train employees to recognize and report phishing attempts, reducing the risk of falling victim to social engineering attacks.
- Regularly update software: Keep email clients, servers, and security software up-to-date to patch known vulnerabilities and protect against emerging threats.
- Use secure file sharing: For large or sensitive attachments, use secure file-sharing services instead of email to minimize exposure and improve tracking.
- Implement data loss prevention (DLP): Use DLP tools to monitor outgoing emails and prevent accidental or intentional leakage of sensitive information.
- Enforce strong password policies: Require complex, unique passwords for email accounts and implement regular password changes to enhance account security.
- Limit access to sensitive information: Restrict access to confidential email content and attachments on a need-to-know basis to minimize potential exposure.
- Regularly backup email data: Maintain secure backups of email content and attachments to ensure data recovery in case of cyberattacks or system failures.