Emails have been around for more than two decades now, and millions of people around the globe still use them to communicate with each other. Besides being a medium of communication, emails are used extensively for marketing goods and services.
According to Forbes, email marketing is one of the most popular ways of gaining reach and traction and is used extensively by marketers all around the globe. Thanks to the popularity of emails globally, numerous email service providers are available in the market, each of which offers countless top-tier features and functionalities.
Even though most email service providers have safety protocols and firewalls in place to ensure that the user’s data remains safe, there is always a chance of the email service getting hacked or exploited by cyber criminals.
Email Safety Best Practices
Thankfully, there are numerous ways by which users can enhance the safety of their email accounts. This article will shed light on some of the best email safety practices, following which email accounts’ security quotient can be maximized. Let us dive right into it:
- Set Strong Passwords
One of the most foolproof ways of enhancing your email account’s safety and security quotient is by setting a strong password. A strong password ensures that your account is impossible or harder to hack; hence, you should seriously consider your current password if it is a simple one. It was believed that a password filled with random letters, numerals, and symbols is a strong password.
However, if you set a complex password, chances are you will probably note it down somewhere, like on a piece of paper or in your Notes app, which may result in your password getting stolen and exploited.
Hence, it would be best if you considered setting a lengthy password since the length and not complexity is the factor you should focus on to secure an email account. You could string together unrelated words that are significant to you and create a lengthy password that only you can figure out.
- Block Email Addresses
Receiving irrelevant emails continuously from annoying sources is a problem almost every email account user faces. Thankfully, nearly all reputed email service providers offer users the option to block email addresses to ensure that their account does not keep getting spammed with bogus emails.
For instance, if you have an email account on Yahoo’s email platform and are wondering how to block on Yahoo Mail, you can block email addresses by using the “Block senders” option present in the menu that you can open by clicking on the three dots present at the email’s top, and clicking on “Ok.” Besides this, you can also deal with spam emails by selecting and sending them to the native spam folder.
Similarly, if you are a Gmail user, you can block email addresses by opening the message, clicking on the “More” option, and tapping on the “Block sender” option. Once you put the sender in the block list, they will not be able to send any more emails until you unblock them or remove them from the block list.
- Use Multifactor Authentication to Secure your Email Account
Multi-Factor Authentication or MFA is an authentication method where users must verify their identity by following numerous steps such as entering an OTP sent to their verified mobile number or email ID, answering a security question, and providing the platform access to their location, etc.
Most top-tier email service providers feature the 2FA or two-factor authentication method to ensure users’ accounts stay safe and secure from cyber criminals.
This method of authentication ensures that no one except the owner of the email account can access it, and thus, it significantly enhances the security quotient of email accounts. If you use emails as a means of communication, it would be best to turn on the two-factor or multi-factor authentication feature.
- Do not Click on Suspicious Email Attachments.
Most email attacks depend on the user clicking on the attached file. These attachments generally contain malicious executable code, an advanced form of code capable of corrupting the system or stealing users’ data. Even though there are tools that identify and block such attachments, there are instances when such malicious attachments come disguised as trustworthy files from reputed sources.
Hence, whenever you receive an email from a new start or even a known one, it would be best to ponder the attachment’s content first and not instantly click on it. Even files like PDFs, documents, presentations, and spreadsheets contain malicious codes; hence, you should be careful before clicking on them or opening them.
An effective way to ensure that your attachment is safe is by scanning it with an anti-malware app. If the scan shows no anomalies, you can open it without worrying. However, if a threat is detected, you should immediately delete the email to eliminate the file.
To ensure your email account stays safe from mishaps, follow the effective safety measures mentioned above.
