What is email security?

Email threats take many forms, and attackers continuously evolve their tactics. Here are ten of the most common types:

1. Phishing
Phishing attacks aim to steal or damage sensitive data by deceiving people into revealing personal information. The sender of a phishing email is posing as a trusted person or organization to trick victims into disclosing valuable information such as passwords, credit card numbers, and other sensitive data. Different types of phishing include spear phishing, vishing, whaling, and QR code phishing (quishing), where attackers use QR codes to bypass traditional link scanning.

2. Spam
Spam is an unsolicited message sent in bulk and without the recipient’s consent. Businesses use spam email for commercial purposes. Scammers use spam to spread malware, trick recipients into divulging sensitive information, or extort money.

3. Business email compromise (BEC)
BEC occurs when cybercriminals impersonate trusted leaders to trick employees into transferring money or sending data. These scams cost businesses millions, with small companies often unable to recover from the losses.

4. Malware
Malware is malicious software created to damage, disrupt, or gain unauthorized access to computers and computer systems. Common types of malware include viruses, worms, ransomware, and spyware. Cybercriminals use malware to infect devices and steal data, obtain banking credentials, sell access to computing resources or personal information, or extort payments from victims.

5. Social engineering
Social engineering is the use of psychological manipulation to trick people into revealing sensitive information or performing actions that compromise security. Many cybercriminals are now using AI to craft convincing email messages.

6. Prompt injection attacks
These attacks are malicious instructions hidden in content (such as an email) that try to manipulate an AI system into ignoring its safeguards or revealing sensitive data.

7. Email spoofing and domain impersonation
Email spoofing and domain impersonation involve forging the sender address or mimicking a trusted domain to make an email appear legitimate and trick recipients.

8. Account takeover (ATO)
This is when an attacker gains unauthorized access to a user’s account, often via stolen credentials, to commit fraud, steal data, or move deeper into an organization.

9. Insider threats and accidental data leakage
An insider threat is when an employee with authorized access unintentionally or deliberately causes a data leak, exposing sensitive data to unauthorized parties.

10. Data exfiltration
Data exfiltration is the unauthorized transfer of data from an organization either manually or through malicious programming. Email gateways help make sure businesses avoid sending sensitive data without authorization, which could lead to a costly data breach.

Modern email security solutions use a combination of technologies and processes, including:
 

• A high-level flow of inbound and outbound email scanning.
• AI, machine learning, and behavioral analysis to detect anomalies.
• URL rewriting and link protection to block malicious sites.
• Attachment sandboxing to analyze files in a secure environment.
• Real-time threat intelligence for emerging attack patterns.
• Automated remediation and user reporting to contain threats quickly.