Two-thirds of emails sent this year were malicious
Mobile phone users more susceptible to attacks
Two-thirds of more than half a billion emails sent during the first half of this year were malicious, making email-based threats a popular means of cyberattacks, a new report revealed yesterday.
Based on the Email Threat Report, released by FireEye Inc — an intelligence-led security company — only one-third of more than half a billion emails sent during the same period were considered ‘clean’. In other words, one in every 101 emails had malicious intent.
Some 91 per cent of cybercrime starts with an email and it takes just one malicious email to infiltrate an organisation.
“Not only is email the most pervasive form of communication, it is also the most popular vector for cyberattacks. This makes email the biggest vulnerability for every organisation,” said Ken Bagnall, vice-president of email security at FireEye. “From malware to malware-less attacks, including impersonation attacks like ‘CEO Fraud’, a single malicious email can cause significant brand damage and financial losses.
By choosing an email security solution with features based on real-time knowledge gained from the front lines, and by teaching users to always ensure they are communicating with who they think they are, organisations can better defend against attacks.”
Email security solutions are currently more focused on detecting malware. However, cyber criminals are learning to adapt and are exposing organisations to malware-less assaults such as ‘CEO Fraud’, in which the attacker pretends to be the boss and tricks an employee into wiring funds or important documents to the attacker.
According to the data gathered, phishing attacks will continue to rise, while impersonation attacks — at 19 per cent — remain relatively proportional to the total number of attacks seen.
Mobile users are more prone to attacks when checking emails, the report said, since most mobile emails only display clients’ names and not email addresses. Attackers can easily trick users into thinking they’re corresponding with someone they know.