New reports show phishers targeting Microsoft email with attacks. Research by Avanan shows a 74% increase in phishing emails making it through Microsoft’s Microsoft Exchange Online Protection and Defender solutions from two years ago. The research also found Microsoft blocked 93% of business email compromise attacks and prevented around 90% of malware attachments from getting through.
Security in layers
It is important to not over react when you see numbers like a 74% increase. It is expected that cyber criminals will find new ways to evade cybersecurity solutions. This is why when we think cybersecurity, we must think of cybersecurity in layers. This means there is no one solution that solves all vulnerabilities fully. This also means there is no one solution that solves one vulnerability fully.
Add another layer
As most of our readers live in a northern climate, imagine cybersecurity like adding another layer of clothing during a cold winter day in which you have to be outside. As you get colder throughout the day, you may add even more additional layers. It is the same with cybersecurity. Let’s take the example of phishing emails and discuss the multiple layers of cybersecurity.
First we have employee training and awareness. Educating your team on phishing emails is a great way to help minimize the risk of someone clicking on a malicious link or file.
Second we have email filtering and security configurations. Configuring your email to look for known phishing addresses, malicious attachments, and malicious links is a great next layer.
Thirdly you can add another layer by implementing email protection solutions. These types of solutions usually have the ability to open links and attachments in a sandbox environment. This helps identify if the file or link is malicious.
It is important to remember there are additional layers you can add and these are only a small example of the multiple layers you can implement to better cybersecure your small business! So when you see headlines like Phishers targeting Microsoft you can rest assure you have numerous layers in place to protect against phishing attacks.
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