Email security should be one of your top priorities to effectively deal with the ever-increasing cyber-attacks in this digital era. One of the recent studies done by Verizon showed that more than one-third of all data breaches involve a phishing email. That means these kinds of attacks can be prevented by ensuring better email security in your organization.
If you’re using the Microsoft 365 platform, it has platform has plenty of tools that you can use to beef up email security in your organization. Please note that some of the settings to enhance email security can be configured through Microsoft Entra ID, thanks to the seamless integration of Microsoft platforms. In this article, we will explore how organizations of all sizes can strengthen their email security using built-in tools in Microsoft 365.
Using Microsoft 365 to Improve Email Security
These are the seven changes for enhancing email security with Microsoft 365.
1. Utilize Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) adds an extra layer of security to your email accounts. With MFA, users must provide two or more verification methods to access their email. This makes it much harder for unauthorized people to gain access, even if they get access to the login credentials of any of your team members.
Steps to set up MFA
- Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center
- Go to Users > Active Users> Multi-factor authentication.
- Click on Get Started to configure MFA settings
- Define the MFA methods users can choose from. Some of the supported MFA methods in Microsoft 365 include phone calls, SMS, Microsoft authenticator app, Passkey (FIDO2), and Email One-time Password. However, the Microsoft Authenticator app is the most secure and easily accessible option that Microsoft recommends
2. Employ Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) helps protect your emails from sophisticated threats like malware and phishing attacks. It scans emails in real-time to detect and block malicious content and links. This adds an extra layer of security, especially for your staff who are not cautious about the email they open.
Steps to enable ATP
- In Microsoft 365 go to Security
- Navigate to Email and Collaboration Policies & Rules > Threat Policies.
- Enable these ATP features:
- ATP Anti-Malware: Scans email attachments for malware.
- ATP Anti-spam: Scans emails to protect your organization’s email from spam
- ATP Anti-Phishing: Helps detect and prevent phishing emails.
3. Integrate Email Encryption
Email encryption ensures that only the intended recipient can read the email. It protects sensitive information, even if the email is intercepted by unauthorized users on your network. It is recommended that you enable email encryption, especially if your teams share sensitive information via email.
Steps to set up email encryption
Follow these steps to encrypt an email with S/MIME in Outlook
- Under the File menu, select Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings.
- In the left pane, select Email Security.
- Under Encrypted email, choose Settings.
- Under Certificates and Algorithms, click Choose and select the S/MIME certificate.
- Choose OK
- Finish composing your email and then choose Send.
4. Leverage Conditional Access Policies
Conditional Access Policies in Microsoft Entra ID help enforce security rules based on various factors like user identity, location, device health, and risk level. For instance, you can block email access from devices that don’t meet your security standards.
Steps to Create a Conditional Access Policy
- Create a New Policy: Sign in to your Microsoft Entra ID>Security>Conditional Access. Click on “+ New Policy” to start creating a new Conditional Access policy.
- Define Policy Settings:
- Users: Specify which users or groups the policy will apply to.
- Cloud Apps: Select the cloud applications, like Microsoft Exchange Online, that the policy will apply to.
- Conditions: Set conditions based on factors like location (block access from certain countries), device health (allow only compliant devices), and risk level (block access if user risk is high).
- Access Controls: Decide what to allow or block. For example, you might require multi-factor authentication (MFA) for accessing emails.
- Enable and Save the Policy: Toggle the policy to “On.” Click on “Create” to save and apply the policy. This conditional policy will now be implemented on all the users and groups you selected when configuring policy settings.
5. Enable Audit Logging
Audit logging helps monitor all activities in your Microsoft 365 environment. This can quickly alert you to unauthorized access or unusual behavior, like logins from unexpected locations or at odd times. Audit logging is usually turned by default for all Microsoft 365 organizations. If not, follow the steps below to turn it on.
Steps to Turn on Audit Logging
- Go to Microsoft 365> Compliance to open the Microsoft Purview portal.
- Under Solutions, select Audit. Click on “New Search”
- Turn on Auditing: If audit logging is not already enabled, you will see an option to “start recording user and admin activity.” Click this to enable the feature.
6. Secure Mail Flow with Transport Rules
Transport rules in Exchange Online help manage and secure email flow within your organization. You can create rules to block, flag, or reroute emails based on specific criteria. The goal of these rules is to ensure emails are safe when being sent or received.
Steps to Create a Transport Rule
- Go to the Exchange Admin Center.
- Navigate to Mail Flow Rules by clicking on “Mail flow” and then selecting “Rules.”
- Create a New Rule. Click on “+ Add” and choose “Create a new rule.”
- Define Rule Conditions and Actions: Set conditions that trigger the rule, such as emails containing sensitive information or coming from specific domains. You should also specify the actions to take when conditions are met, like blocking the email, adding a warning, or routing it to another mailbox.
- Save the Rule. Click “Save” to apply the rule.
Final Thoughts
By following these seven steps using the built-in tools within Microsoft 365, you can significantly strengthen your organization’s email security posture. This will help protect your users from phishing attacks, malware, and other email-borne threats. It will also ensure the confidentiality of sensitive information and maintain compliance with industry regulations.
However, it is important to remember that email security is an ongoing process, so it’s crucial to stay vigilant and adapt your strategies as new threats emerge. You can book a meeting to talk to one of our experts about how to further enhance your organization’s email security.
