Email Security Threats: Protecting Your Business Communications with AMVIA
Jun 13, 2025
Almost every business relies on email as one of the primary ways of communicating, with over 333 billion emails sent and received daily worldwide. However, despite its widespread use, many businesses remain unaware of the cyber security threats that email poses. A staggering 95% of all data breaches are caused by human error, with email serving as the primary attack vector.
Email Security Threats You Should Be Aware Of
Emails can serve as a conduit for various types of malware, such as ransomware and viruses, with nearly 1.2% of all emails sent being malicious, accounting for 3.4 billion phishing emails daily. Here are some of the major threats your business may face:
1. Malware in Emails
Emails can contain malicious code designed to run when you open the message. The most common types of malware are often found within email attachments or links, though current data shows that only 1% of malicious emails that reach user inboxes deliver malware, as email filters have become more effective at stopping these traditional threats.
2. Phishing Emails
Phishing emails are designed to mimic legitimate communications from reputable businesses or financial institutions. These emails often trick recipients into visiting fake websites where they enter confidential personal or financial details. Phishing remains the most common cybercrime, with 298,878 complaints reported to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center. Deceptive links were the most common phishing method, making up 36% of phishing threats.
3. Business Email Compromise (BEC)
BEC attacks are particularly dangerous, with 64% of businesses reporting facing BEC attacks in 2024. The attacker poses as a senior executive and instructs an employee responsible for payments to transfer a large sum of money to the attacker's bank account. The FBI reports that $50 billion has been lost in both domestic and international business email compromise attacks, representing a $7 billion increase from 2022. Over the last nine years, there have been nearly 300,000 BEC incidents in 177 countries.
While some of these threats cause monetary loss, others target data theft, productivity reduction, or damage to customer trust. Hence, email security should be a priority for businesses of all sizes, especially considering that 80% of security incidents are attributed to phishing, with losses totaling $17,700 every minute due to these attacks.
How to Secure Your Business Email System with AMVIA
A substantial portion of email security threats occur when an email enters a company's email system. Here's how businesses can improve detection and protection at these entry points with AMVIA's comprehensive security solutions:
1. Install an Email Security Gateway
An email security gateway can be installed on your company's email server to filter out malicious content before it reaches employees. AMVIA's advanced email protection services include Barracuda Total Email Protection, which provides gateway defense, inbox defense, incident response, cloud archiving, and security awareness training. These gateways offer several protection features:
Spam Filtering: Detects and blocks large-scale spam attacks designed to infiltrate systems, with success rates of 99.98% in identifying and blocking spam.
Attachment Scanning: Detects and blocks harmful attachments by checking them against global threat networks using multiple anti-virus engines and cloud-assisted lookups.
Link Scanning: Verifies links in emails to identify potential malicious sites, with malicious URLs being checked using several threat feeds.
Data Loss Prevention (DLP): Prevents sensitive data from being inadvertently or maliciously sent via email, ensuring regulatory compliance.
Blacklisting: Blocks emails from known malicious domains or addresses using comprehensive threat intelligence.
AMVIA's cybersecurity solutions include next-generation firewall protection, advanced threat prevention, and comprehensive security policy management to create a holistic defense ecosystem.
2. Protecting Email Endpoints
While email security gateways offer essential protection, they cannot defend against threats that target individual employee endpoints. Ensure that all devices accessing business emails are equipped with protection software to guard against malware, viruses, and ransomware. AMVIA's endpoint protection solutions integrate seamlessly with email clients, providing real-time scanning of message code and attachments. Email protection works as a plug-in for programs like Microsoft Outlook, with the main advantage being independence from the protocol used.
Employee Email Security Training with AMVIA
Despite email security software being highly effective, no system is 100% foolproof. Training employees to recognize email threats adds another crucial layer of protection, though research shows that only 1 in 10 employees remember all their workplace security training. AMVIA recognizes this challenge and provides comprehensive training programs that address the fact that 79% of employees are likely to act on security advice provided on platforms they use daily.
Here are key rules employees should follow:
Never click on links from unknown sources
Never open email attachments from unfamiliar senders
Avoid clicking links within emails related to financial institutions
Always verify financial transactions with a senior manager
Never use public Wi-Fi to access business email systems
AMVIA's training programs include simulated phishing exercises that help employees identify threats in a controlled environment, addressing the critical need for practical, hands-on security education.
Encrypted Email: Protecting Confidential Information
Email systems were not originally designed with security in mind, leaving sensitive information vulnerable. To prevent eavesdropping, it is crucial to secure your email communications with proper encryption protocols.
1. Secure Your Email with SSL/TLS
Emails should be encrypted using SSL/TLS when sent through email servers. This ensures that only the intended recipient can decrypt and read the email. Over the last two years, the number of encrypted emails received by major providers has almost doubled, though this encouraging trend is accompanied by an increase in SMTP TLS downgrade attacks. AMVIA's Microsoft 365 services include expert implementation of Office Message Encryption (OME) and advanced email security features to ensure proper encryption deployment.
2. Use a VPN for Secure Connections
If your email system does not support SSL/TLS encryption, a VPN can offer additional protection by encrypting the internet connection. Most modern email systems, including Outlook, offer automatic encryption using symmetric encryption methods, ensuring that only the recipient with the matching private key can decrypt the email.
AMVIA's comprehensive approach includes implementing email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to prevent email spoofing and improve your organization's email reputation. Some organizations may also implement additional encryption gateway software to enforce email security policies, which AMVIA can customize based on specific business requirements.
The AMVIA Advantage in Email Security
AMVIA's enterprise security protection extends beyond basic email security to encompass comprehensive threat detection, 24/7 monitoring, and proactive incident response. Our approach combines advanced technology with human expertise to deliver security solutions that grow with your business needs.
As a trusted Microsoft Partner with extensive experience in enterprise connectivity and security solutions, AMVIA provides complete implementation services that minimize business disruption while maximizing security benefits. Our UK-based technical support team is available 24/7/365, ensuring immediate assistance when you need it most.
Conclusion: Protecting Your Business Email is Essential
As email threats continue to evolve, with 67.4% of all phishing attacks now utilizing some form of AI and 84.2% of phishing attacks passing DMARC authentication, businesses must stay vigilant in securing their email systems. By combining advanced security tools, employee training, and encryption, businesses can significantly reduce their exposure to email security risks.
For continued protection, businesses should regularly update their security practices and keep an eye on emerging threats in the email security landscape. With AMVIA's comprehensive email security solutions, you're not just implementing technology – you're investing in a partnership that provides the expertise, support, and proactive monitoring needed to protect your business communications against evolving cyber threats.
The investment in proper email security with AMVIA pays dividends through improved protection, enhanced client trust, and protection against the costly consequences of data breaches that continue to plague businesses worldwide.
