Threat Spotlight: POST-DELIVERY EMAIL THREATS

What happens after a malicious email bypasses an organization’s security measures and lands in a user’s inbox can be just as important as what happens to block threats in the first place.

- Mike Flouton

Barracuda researchers recently looked at approximately 3,500 organizations to better understand threat patterns and response practices. They found that an average organization with 1,100 users will experience around 15 email security incidents per month, and on average 10 employees will be impacted by each phishing attack that manages to get through.

Researchers also found that 3% of employees will click on a link in a malicious email, exposing the entire organization to attackers. Although these numbers may appear small, they are still significant because hackers need only one click or reply for an attack to be successful.

In addition, researchers identified actions that can make a measurable difference post-delivery. For example, it was analyzed that organizations that train their users will see a 73% improvement in the accuracy of user-reported email after only two training campaigns.

Let’s have a closer look at the threat patterns and response practices that researchers at Barracuda uncovered, and steps you can take to help improve your organization’s response to email threats post-delivery.

HIGHLIGHTED THREAT

Post-delivery email threats: The activities conducted to manage the aftermath of a security breach and the threats that arise post-delivery are commonly referred to as incident response. Effective incident response seeks to remediate the security threat quickly to stop the spread of the attack and minimize any potential damage.