Definitions: E-mail Security

Definition

E-mail security refers to the measures used to protect  e-mail systems against a multitude of threats, including malicious code and  data loss. There is a breadth of hardware, software and procedural methods that  support e-mail security, and they are often used together to help ensure  optimal protection.

Business applications

E-mail is a popular attack route for those attempting to  steal sensitive information or disrupt business operations. E-mail also is  considered a mission-critical application for many businesses, so its  availability and integrity is of utmost importance. Businesses that neglect  e-mail security are putting their companies at great risk.

Businesses can choose to deploy their own technologies as  part of their e-mail security, or they can choose to outsource e-mail security  to a service provider that filters incoming e-mail for malware, spam and other  objectionable content.

Deployment Concerns

Businesses should be careful not to oversimplify e-mail security. Desktop antivirus alone will not protect systems. Not only does  e-mail face a variety of threats due to its very nature, it is also used  differently by users and whole departments within an organization. Thus, implementing an e-mail security policy and the technology to support it can be  challenging. Some users may be using e-mail as a filing system that, as a  result, holds sensitive data, while departments may have varying levels of tolerance  for e-mails that could pass as spam. Businesses should be sure to involve  representatives from different departments to help ensure that all business  needs are met while addressing otherwise hidden security vulnerabilities.

Of course businesses also have to keep up with e-mail  security technologies. According to a survey by IDC, 72 percent of companies are unable to stop data leaks via e-mail and 9 out of 10 companies do not  have effective spam filters in place. New e-mail security solutions come on the  heels of new threats. Businesses must keep their technology updated to remain  protected against the latest threats, whether that means updating threat  signatures or replacing hardware altogether.

Businesses interested in outsourcing their e-mail security should consider who will be controlling a critical piece of  infrastructure. The business no longer has control over the e-mail systems when  they are outsourced. For this reason, it’s especially important that businesses  consider the e-mail security strategy adopted by the service provider, who is  just as vulnerable to e-mail security threats as its customers. Businesses might  also consider the potential delays that might result from adding one more “hop”  in the e-mail route. Although many service providers have mitigated this  concern by building a fully redundant infrastructure that is load-balanced  across multiple data centers.

Technical details

E-mail security appliances are an all-in-one approach to  e-mail security. These hardware devices sit on the network, near the firewall.  Incoming and outgoing e-mail is intercepted by the appliance, which scans  messages for malware, spam and sensitive data. Some e-mail security appliances  offer advanced features, and can also be configured to enforce security  policies and regulatory compliance requirements.

A variety of software is also available to support e-mail  security efforts, including encryption, antivirus, content filtering,  anti-spam, anti-spyware and security suites, which package different software  together into a single application.

Other network security technologies such as routers,  intrusion-detection systems, and content filters can also support e-mail  security efforts.