The Cost of Poor Email Security

We are all well aware of how costly cybersecurity is. It costs to have proper cybersecurity measures, and it costs even more when those measures are lacking because security breaches do occur. 

The same must be said about email. Email is vital for every company, but it's also the one part of it that's under the biggest threat. We are all well aware of how costly cybersecurity is. It costs to have proper cybersecurity measures, and it costs even more when those measures are lacking because security breaches do occur. 

The same must be said about email security. Email is vital for every company, but it's also the one part of it that's under the biggest threat. 

We at AnubisNetworks prepared this article for you with a lot of relevant statistics that show the real cost of poor email security. We are not doing it in an attempt to scare you, but to show you that it's crucial for your company to ensure the safety of its entire email infrastructure.

Email Cost Statistics You Need to Know

The entire cybercrime economy is big business, as evidenced by the fact that its global profits are around $1.5 trillion. The number might even be conservative by some, but it goes to show how vital cybersecurity is. 

Email is a big part of this as most attacks target company emails, employee emails and executive emails alike. Most cyberattacks use malware, and email is the easiest way to directly spread malware, which is seen in the fact that 92% of all malware is delivered via email. We also see this in the fact that some 91% of all cyberattacks found have started with a spear-phishing email. 

Phishing attacks are one of the biggest problems online, and most companies should be well aware of this fact. Some 76% of all companies and organizations were a target of a phishing attack at least once. The worst thing here is that as much as 86% of all phishing targets were located in the U.S. 

Another interesting thing is that Office files make up almost half (48%) of all malicious email attachments. That makes additional protection for Office 365 a necessity as well.

It’s easier to appreciate how these numbers have a massive effect when you consider that there are around 128.8 billion business emails sent and received each day. The numbers are still staggering when you realize that each user sends and receives around 126 business emails every day. According to the latest numbers from Statista, more than half (56%) of all emails are spam emails, many of which contain malware. That goes to show how many dangerous emails are received by employees and executives. 

The latest reports from Verizon tell us that 43% of all breaches involved small businesses, which stand to lose the most from them. 

What is the real cost of an Email Breach?

You can see that email attacks may hurt your firm in many ways. However, what is the actual cost of an email attack? When we consider all the costs (the breach itself, lost revenue, business interruption costs, brand reputation loss costs, etc.) the number is usually around $3.86 million. 

Key Takeaways

Some statistics here might seem overwhelming, but they go to show how vital email security is in 2019 and beyond. As a business, you must invest in email security and improve your company-wide digital behavior. All of this together can ensure your company's cyber safety and thus lower your overall costs.