Intelligent SME.tech Issue 20 | Page 41

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// FEATURE //

The best approaches

FOR SMES TAKE TO EMAIL SECURITY

Phishing is a pressing concern in today ’ s technological world and protecting against an attack has never been more crucial . Intelligent SME . tech speaks to two experts about the best email security approaches for small businesses to implement .

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Hany George , Security Specialist for Mimecast ME
Firstly , it ' s important to note that any company – no matter how large or small – is a potential victim of a cyberattack .
Attackers will aim highly targeted and sophisticated attacks at larger enterprises , working to exploit zero-day vulnerabilities to steal off with a big payday . Smaller firms , in contrast , are typically attacked with lowsophistication , high-volume attacks where threat actors attempt to target as many SMEs in as little time as possible . They know that smaller organisations tend to have less advanced security in place , so they see them as easy targets who offer a higher chance of success .
In Mimecast ' s latest State of Email Security 2022 report , 55 % of organisations with 250 – 500 email users reported increases in phishing and impersonation attacks . Nearly 70 % of these organisations also reported some impact from a ransomware attack in the past year , with an average of 7.3 days of downtime following a successful attack .
To protect against email-borne attacks , SMEs need a cyber-resilience strategy that provides layered security to protect employees and company data from a broad range of threats . User awareness in SMEs plays a big role , especially because a complete suite of defences is typically lacking in smaller organisations .
Only half ( 52 %) of the surveyed SMEs have a security system in place to protect against email-borne attacks , although nearly all firms surveyed ( 94 %) are in the process of implementing such a system in the next twelve months . The growth in brand impersonation attacks also warrants investment in online brand protection tools .
Hany George , Security Specialist for Mimecast ME
Intelligent SME . tech
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