How do you train your employees on email security best practices?

Email is one of the most common and convenient ways of communicating and sharing information in the workplace. However, it also exposes your business to various cyber threats, such as phishing, malware, spoofing, and data breaches. Therefore, it is essential to train your employees on email security best practices, to protect your data, reputation, and customers. In this article, we will show you how to design and deliver an effective email security awareness program for your staff.

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1 Why email security matters

Email security is not just a technical issue, but a human one. Your employees are the first line of defense against cyberattacks that target your email accounts and systems. If they are not aware of the risks and how to prevent them, they can fall victim to scams, click on malicious links, open infected attachments, or disclose sensitive information. This can compromise your network, data, and reputation, and expose you to legal and regulatory penalties. Therefore, email security awareness is a vital part of your overall security strategy.

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Freddy S.

Cyber Threat Analyst @ ECG | ISO/CEI 2770
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Email is a critical component of organizational communication because it enables users to communicate quickly, easily, and with a variety of devices. Further, email can be used to send a number of different types of media, and communications can be tracked, stored, and organized according to attributes such as time and date stamps and size. Email security is important because email contains sensitive information, is used by everyone in the organization, and is therefore one of a company’s largest targets for attacks. The shift to cloud-based email like Gmail and others comes with several benefits, but cloud-based email has become a tempting attack surface for cyber criminals.

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2 What to include in your email security training

Your email security training should cover the common types and methods of email attacks, such as phishing, spoofing, ransomware, and business email compromise (BEC). It should also include the signs and indicators of a suspicious or fraudulent email, such as sender address, subject line, content, links, and attachments. Additionally, training should focus on the best practices and policies for handling and responding to email messages, such as verifying the sender, checking the URL, scanning the attachment, reporting the incident, and deleting the email. The importance of using email encryption and authentication tools like S/MIME, PGP, and DMARC should be discussed. Lastly, training should emphasize the consequences and impacts of email security breaches, such as data loss, identity theft, financial fraud, reputation damage, and legal liability.

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Kam Karaji MSyI MCIIS

CSO | CISO Global Cyber Security Leader | Wall Street Journal Top 140 CISO |
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Email Attachment Safety: Discuss the risks associated with opening email attachments from unknown or untrusted sources. Train employees on how to identify potentially malicious attachments and encourage them to verify with the sender before opening such files. Email Spoofing: Explain where attackers forge the sender's email address to make it appear as if the email came from a trusted source. Teach employees to examine email headers and suspicious email characteristics to identify potential spoofed emails. Email Encryption: Familiarize employees with the concept of email encryption. Provide guidelines on how to send encrypted emails when necessary and promote the use of secure communication channels for sensitive data transfer.

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3 How to deliver your email security training

To engage your employees and reinforce their learning, your email security training should be delivered in multiple formats and methods. For example, videos, quizzes, games, simulations, and scenarios can appeal to different learning styles. Additionally, make the training relevant and realistic by using examples and cases from your industry or sector, as well as showing how email attacks can affect your business and customers. You should also provide feedback and recognition by giving employees immediate feedback on their performance and rewarding them for completing the training. Finally, repeat and refresh the training regularly by updating the content, testing employees' knowledge and skills periodically, and reminding them of the key points and tips.

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4 How to measure your email security training effectiveness

Your email security training should not be a one-time event, but an ongoing process of improvement. To measure its effectiveness, you should use quantitative and qualitative methods, such as surveys and interviews to collect your employees' feedback and opinions on the training content, delivery, and outcomes. You should also track and analyze your employees' behavior and performance with metrics and indicators like email security incidents, compliance rates, response times, and error rates. Finally, compare and evaluate your email security training results against benchmarks and goals to determine if you have achieved your objectives.

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5 How to improve your email security training

Your email security training should not be static, but dynamic and adaptive. To ensure its effectiveness, you should review and update the content and methods regularly to reflect the latest trends in the cyber landscape and the changing needs and expectations of your employees and customers. Additionally, soliciting feedback from your employees, managers, and stakeholders can help you identify what works and what doesn’t. You should also test new ideas such as gamification, microlearning, social learning, and adaptive learning to enhance the training experience and outcomes.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How do you train your employees on email security best practices?

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1 Why email security matters

2 What to include in your email security training

3 How to deliver your email security training

4 How to measure your email security training effectiveness

5 How to improve your email security training

6 Here’s what else to consider

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