The crisis in Ukraine is more than an armed conflict. In fact, the war could escalate from the battlefield to your company\u2019s smartphones, desktops, laptops and networks through a weapon you least suspect \u2013 email.<\/p>\n
Since the start of the crisis, cybersecurity threats have increased for organizations around the world, mostly from Russian-backed cyberterrorism groups. What most people don\u2019t realize is that email is the easiest way for cybercriminals to launch attacks that can hold business for ransom, steal data, disrupt operations and more. All they need is for one employee to click a link in an infected email to launch malware or ransomware in your organization.<\/strong><\/p>\n Why is email so vulnerable? Because many organizations haven’t put the necessary protections in place to protect against attacks. Fortunately, IT leaders and security experts have access to both short-term and long-term mechanisms to protect their organizations and data.<\/p>\n The first steps in protecting your organization from malicious email attacks do not have to be a costly, time-consuming endeavor. You can keep most of those messages out of your employees\u2019 inboxes or better manage them with two simple steps:<\/p>\n Finally, remember effective communication and security awareness starts with leadership.<\/strong> If you do not have leaders on board and effective security awareness training programs in place, start addressing those needs now.<\/p>\n To be sure, the impact of cyberattacks can be devastating. For example, last year\u2019s Colonial Pipeline attack<\/a> cost that company $4.4 million in ransom paid to hackers. Like many costly software attacks, Colonial Pipeline resulted from failure to implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). MFA is one of two longer-term actions you should evaluate to ward off future attacks:<\/p>\n Microsoft has noted<\/a> even the U.S. government\u2019s Office of Management and Budget recommends appointing a Zero-Trust strategy<\/a> implementation officer to build alignment around security solutions such as MFA \u2014 an approach that applies to businesses, too.<\/p>\nWhat To Do Now: Email Security Settings and Communication<\/h2>\n
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What to Plan for the Future<\/h2>\n
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