With email being as prevalent as it is, and even more so since the rise of remote working, it may be a bit surprising to see the majority of businesses using email clients that don’t provide necessary cybersecurity protection.
Yet, according to a new report from Mimecast, that’s exactly what’s going on: most businesses (58 percent) are using subpar email clients. Only 45 percent have spam filters built-in, while 60 percent don’t provide any antivirus protection. Furthermore, 42 percent have malware protection and email backup, while 56 percent don’t have any ransomware or anti-phishing protection.
Almost two-thirds (64 percent) lack protection against Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks, as well as against zero-day vulnerabilities.
Business owners seem to be aware of the problem, as just half (53 percent) are confident in their cybersecurity perimeter in case of an attack. Still, the problem is only going to grow. Many (56 percent) are witnessing more cyberattack attempts in the past year, saying the attacks grew more sophisticated.
They’re worried about reduced productivity, loss of revenue and a destroyed reputation. And finally, many don’t believe they’d be able to recover their email data within a day of a breach.
“For too many organizations, security starts and stops with their email platform, and they are relying upon email systems that do not provide adequate security features,” commented Brian Pinnock, a cybersecurity expert at Mimecast. “Tight budgets and limited resources have led many to move away from the best practice of layered security and centralize protection with a single technology provider.”
“To remain secure, businesses must invest in email security that guards them against attacks such as ransomware, phishing, that are clearly on the rise. To meet these and other challenges, cyber preparedness is key, and companies must put a cyber resilience strategy in place to improve their ability to prevent and withstand email-borne attacks.”
