Email remains the most common way attackers reach an organisation, because it is open to the world and every employee uses it. Filtering spam is only part of the job. These five practices reduce both the noise in the inbox and the risk behind it.
1. Authenticate your own domain
Publish SPF, DKIM and DMARC records for your domain and move DMARC toward an enforcing policy once reports show your legitimate mail is passing. This makes it harder for someone to send convincing messages that appear to come from you, and it improves delivery of your genuine mail.
2. Use layered filtering
Modern mail platforms offer spam, malware and phishing protection, and most can be tuned. Turn on attachment and link scanning, quarantine high-risk messages instead of delivering them, and review what the filter catches so you can adjust the rules over time.
3. Require multi-factor authentication
Even a well-trained team will occasionally enter a password on a fake page. Multi-factor authentication means a stolen password alone is not enough to read mail or send messages as that person. Prioritise administrators, finance and executives.
4. Train people to spot the signs
Short, regular guidance works better than an annual lecture. Teach people to look at the real sender address, be wary of urgency and unusual payment or credential requests, hover over links before clicking, and report anything suspicious through one simple route.
- Unexpected requests to change bank details or pay an invoice.
- Messages that create pressure to act immediately.
- Links whose destination does not match the text shown.
- Attachments you were not expecting, even from a known contact.
5. Make reporting easy and respond quickly
A report button and a clear, blame-free process turn employees into an early-warning system. When a message is reported, remove it from other mailboxes quickly, reset credentials if anyone engaged with it, and share what you learned with the rest of the team.
Email security is a combination of technology, configuration and habit. Getting the configuration right and keeping it reviewed is a good place for outside expertise to help.
