Cyber attackers often target companies with the intent to engage in high-dollar schemes, such as ransom attacks. In the past, most people didn’t have to worry very much about these threats happening to them at home. All that changed when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and sent millions of people home to work during the worldwide lockdowns. Hackers realized that the doors to access data at large companies were now on laptops and computers sitting in living rooms all across the world. The key strategy they used on their unsuspecting victims was email spam. Outbound email spam filters can protect your company from the vulnerabilities to your email security introduced by remote workers.

Why Cyber Attackers Use Email Spam

The primary method cyber attackers use to try to gain access to secure information is deception. Because so many people access their email every day, their inboxes are the most efficient place for spammers to lay their traps. The unwary will receive an email that looks legitimate at first glance. It could be from a recipient that looks familiar, such as Yahoo or Paypal, or it might even look like it comes from a department in their company. New remote workers might be easy to deceive with legitimate-looking, work-related portals or login instructions. Some deceptive emails claim to have important COVID updates from clones of official websites.

How Cyber Attackers Use Email Spam

The most common method scammers use is phishing. Phishing happens when the scammer tricks the victim into disclosing valuable information, such as a social security number or login credentials. The scammer sets up a clone or fake site and convinces the victim to enter their login information to access it. One of the most effective phishing scams is to tell the user there has been a security threat and that they need to confirm their password. This is the method Russian hackers used with John Podesta to gain access to the DNC server. Anyone can fall for a phishing scam.

Email Security and IP Identity Theft

Because scammers get blocked once security systems identify them, the first step in their attack usually starts with gaining access to a legitimate email address. They may do this with phishing or through spam-sending malware. Once they have that access, they can start sending emails from a trusted email address to attempt to deceive others with more complex phishing schemes. If this happens to a company email account, your company IP address is at risk of being blocklisted, which could prevent the delivery of legitimate and important emails.

How Outbound Email Spam Filters Protect Your Company

While inbound email spam filters protect from complex phishing attempts, outbound email spam filters prevent your company email addresses from becoming compromised by spam-sending malware. Outbound spam filters also protect your IP address from blocklisting, so your company’s server isn’t misidentified as a source of spam. This is especially important for web hosts whose primary business includes providing email services for their customers.

Outbound Email Security with MailChannels

MailChannels uses sophisticated algorithms to protect web hosts and companies like yours from email security threats like email spam and spam-sending malware. Find out how your company can benefit from their outbound spam filtering services. Contact MailChannels today to find out more and to take advantage of their free trial.