Email has become an indispensable tool for marketing and communication, playing a pivotal role in facilitating business transactions, fostering customer relationships, offering a convenient medium for information exchange, and much more.

However, it’s important to recognize that while email is a common way for businesses to communicate with customers, it is also a common target for cyberattacks. Threats like phishing attacks, malware, and data breaches can pose significant risks to your customers’ data and your company’s reputation. The repercussions of data breaches and email fraud on trust can be severe.

In this blog, we will delve into comprehending the real-world implications of secure emails. We will also explore the importance of data privacy and compliance in maintaining customer trust.

Common Vulnerabilities that Disrupt a Secure Email Infrastructure

In 2022, a staggering 333 billion emails were sent and received daily on a global scale — a figure estimated to surge to 392.5 billion daily emails by 2026. Amid this exponential growth in email communication, the threat of cyberattacks has intensified, particularly with the rising incidence of phishing, malware, and data breaches. 

Phishing

In phishing attacks, criminals impersonate trusted entities to steal personal information or spread malware, a tactic that has seen a significant increase in recent times. The number of unique phishing sites surged by over 300% between Q2 and Q3 of 2020.

Malware

Malicious software delivered through email attachments or links can infect devices, compromising data and security. 

Spoofing

Spoofing is a method employed by attackers to manipulate the sender’s email address, giving the illusion that their emails originate from a genuine and trusted source.

Man-in-the-middle attacks

Man-in-the-middle attacks occur when an attacker intercepts email communications between two parties. The attacker can then read and modify the emails without either party knowing.

DKIM Replay Attacks

DKIM replay attacks are a type of cyberattack where criminals intercept and reuse DKIM-signed emails to impersonate trusted senders and trick recipients into opening malicious emails.

Data Breaches

Data breaches, such as the Equifax breach in 2017 that exposed the personal information of 147 million individuals, can lead to severe consequences, including identity theft and financial losses.

As email continues to be an essential tool for businesses and individuals, safeguarding its security is paramount in our digital landscape. This heightened emphasis on security extends to the broader context of data privacy and compliance.

The Role Of Data Privacy And Compliance In Customer Trust

The fallout from data breaches and email fraud extends far beyond financial repercussions. The erosion of trust is a significant concern for both individuals and businesses:

Loss of Confidentiality

Customers expect their data to be handled with utmost care. A data breach demonstrates a failure to protect sensitive information, which can lead to a loss of trust. Hackers can use the breached customer data to wreck up their lifetime savings, commit a fraud in their name, harm their loved ones, etc. 

Your company can get stuck between legal actions and risk of facing liability under data protection/GDPR laws, as well as court proceedings for violating confidentiality. In the last few years the European Union has fined companies more than 1,400 times for a total of nearly €3 billion for violations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Reputation Damage

When a company’s data is compromised, its reputation takes a hit. Trust is difficult to regain once it’s lost, and a tarnished reputation can deter potential customers. The consequences of this includes lower opening and engaging rate of marketing emails, poor stock performances, and your customers inclining towards a competitor brand.

Your business competitors can leverage this opportunity by steering their PR and marketing strategies in the direction that indicates how they are more reliable and safer than you. And believe it or not, but mindful and strategic marketing has the power to influence people’s decision at large.

Financial Consequences

Data breaches can result in financial losses for businesses, including legal fees, regulatory fines, and compensation to affected customers. According to an IBM report, the average cost of a data breach in 2023 is $4.45M.

Maintaining customer trust hinges on a company’s ability to protect sensitive information, and stringent data privacy measures are at the core of this assurance. Businesses that respect data privacy regulations, such as GDPR and CCPA, not only avoid regulatory penalties but also demonstrate a commitment to safeguarding their customers’ personal information.

In fact, implementing secure email practices isn’t just a defensive measure; it can be a proactive strategy that benefits businesses:

Secure Email Best Practices

Secure email is important for building customer trust because it shows that you are committed to protecting their privacy and security. When customers know that their personal information is safe and secure, they are more likely to do business with you and trust you with their sensitive data.

To ensure secure email communications, consider implementing the following best practices:

1. Encryption

Use end-to-end encryption to ensure no malicious entity tampers with email messages in the transit and while resting in the server. E2EE ensures not even internet service providers, network administrators, and application service providers read the content of emails sent from your domain.

1. Strong Password Policies

Your corporate password policy shouldn’t be restricted to just emails; extend it to offline and online files, devices, cloud systems, etc. 

An ideal complex and unguessable password should contain uppercase letters, lowercase letters, digits, and non-alphanumeric characters. Moreover, avoid using repeated characters and change them periodically, for example- every 3 months. Create a ‘not-to-do’ checklist that incudes-

• Don’t share passwords with employees.
• Don’t send passwords through emails and texts.
• Don’t save passwords on browsers.
• Don’t use the same passwords across accounts and devices. 
• Use password managers and device management tools.

1. Email Authentication Standards

Implement email authentication standards like DMARC, SPF, and DKIM to prevent email spoofing. With the right DMARC policy, you can ensure emails sent by unauthorized senders don’t show up in your customers’ primary inboxes.

SPF protocol instructs recipients’ servers to retrieve the SPF record corresponding to your domain, and cross-check if the senders’ addresses are part of the official list or not. If not, then the messages sent by such sources are identified as potentially fraudulent and end up landing in spam folders.

By prioritizing secure emailing and adhering to these and other best practices, businesses can safeguard their customer relationships, foster trust, and ultimately enhance their reputation and bottom line.

Conclusion

As the number of global email users continues to grow, a secure email infrastructure is becoming increasingly essential for businesses that want to build customer loyalty. The consequences of vulnerabilities such as phishing and data breaches can be serious, but businesses that follow secure email practices not only protect themselves but also reap the benefits of enhanced trust, customer retention, and brand reputation. 

Make sure your customers know that their personal information is safe with you. Contact us today to learn how to protect your email communications.

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from PowerDMARC authored by Ahona Rudra. Read the original post at: https://powerdmarc.com/importance-of-secure-email/