Why Your Current Approach to Email Security May Not Be Enough

Is your solution doing enough to protect your users? This article helps you to decide.

These days, the words “spam email” and “data breach” are commonplace. With an estimated 3.8 billion email users worldwide (Radicati Group), it is no surprise that scammers and cyber criminals frequently utilize email as a vector to carry out their attacks. Most email users are aware of this exploitation, and many have taken what they believe are the necessary measures to secure their email accounts.

It is a common belief that purchasing a spam filter or antivirus software eliminates the need for concern about email-related attacks. Sound familiar? Maybe you’ve taken additional measures and invested in a comprehensive email security gateway. If so, you have made a concerted effort to protect yourself from email-related harm and have likely reduced your chances of experiencing a successful attack. However, why stop there? There may be more you can do to mitigate your risk of being victimized by phishing, malware, BEC and other serious threats.

From the software and technology that they are comprised of to the features they offer, email security solutions vary greatly in the protection they provide. Many email security gateways operate in a similar manner: identify and quarantine malicious email, thus preventing it from reaching the inbox. However, the technology used in this plays a significant role in determining accuracy and false-positives. These factors are critical when it comes to privacy and security.

Open-source software is inherently more reliable and secure than proprietary alternatives due to the manner in which it is developed and reviewed. In regards to security, the accessibility of open source code enables developers and engineers around the world to view and critique open source projects. As a result, vulnerabilities and bugs are detected and fixed very rapidly. Email security solutions that are comprised of open-source software and that run on Linux are secure from the ground up, as opposed to solutions that are made up of proprietary software and added security features, which often were not designed to work harmoniously. Thus, open-source email security solutions are innately secure by design.

When evaluating an email security solution, it is imperative to consider the features it provides along with the technology it utilizes. Because email-related attacks have evolved to be highly advanced and difficult to detect, simply relying on a spam filter or an antivirus solution is not enough to keep you or your organization out of harm’s way. These features can be beneficial, but only if they are implemented as part of an advanced, comprehensive email security gateway. Many email security providers sell these features in an “a la carte” manner. While this does provide the customer with the freedom to select specific features and work within a budget, this approach fails to recognize the shortcomings of these features on their own. Furthermore, the products these companies offer often fall short of what open-source alternatives are able to provide in terms of security, efficacy and cost-effectiveness.

Guardian Digital, the only open-source email security company, believes in a holistic, comprehensive approach toward securing email accounts. The EnGarde Email Security Gateway combines a myriad of advanced open-source features and technologies to provide complete, unrivaled protection in the midst of today’s scary and unpredictable digital threat landscape. EnGarde utilizes Big Data techniques, machine learning and advanced heuristics technologies, among many other state-of-the-art protective features, to identify both new and existing threats, including advanced persistent threats and zero-day exploits. The gateway rapidly and accurately identifies and quarantines malicious emails, ensuring that only safe and legitimate mail reaches the inbox. Moreover, the highest levels of encryption are used to prevent data loss.

If you or your business prioritizes the safety of your information and, ultimately, your people, chances are you have taken measures to secure your email. The crucial question is: with both the prevalence and severity of email-related attacks on the rise, is your email really secure?