A professional email account is what you also hear someone talking about business email, such as contact@gingersec.com. There are several reasons why it is essential to use professional emails for businesses and not personal emails (Gmail.com, Outlook.com, Yahoo.com, etc.).
The biggest reason to use a professional email is that you can set SPF, DMARC, and DKIM; these help secure your email traffic by addressing the spoofing problem. Sure personal emails might have that to an extent, but you have to remember personal emails are used globally, so there is only so much email providers can do. A professional email is just for your business, so we can have the settings set to whatever you want. Email attacks are the primary entry point for attackers. My company has assisted other companies that have fallen victim to a cyber attack that started from an email, most of the time spoofed. What is all this crazy talk, SPF, DMARK, DKIM, and spoofing? I know. Here is what I am talking about:
Sender Policy Framework, or SPF, helps prevent spoofing (someone using your domain illegitimately).
Domain Key Identified Mail, or DKIM, is a standard DNS authentication mechanism, meaning it helps prove that you are sending emails from a valid mail server and that your emails are legitimate and not to be labeled as spam.
Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance, or DMARC, is a way of connecting SPF and DKIM to ensure that there is a safe and legitimate sender behind the email.
Someone or something pretends to be something else in an attempt to gain our confidence, get access to our systems, steal data, steal money, or spread malware.
Have you tried to set Geo-blocking with your personal emails? That is another one of the nice thing about professional emails is Geo-blocking. Why is this important? It is essential because if you are a small business or even a large business in one geographic location, Arizona, why would you need to receive emails from Japan, China, Russia, etc. By setting Geo-blocking, you block emails from anywhere other than North America or any restrictions you decide on.
Attachment filtering anyone? Did you know many email attacks come in by “zipped” or “password protected” extensions? This is common in attacks because attackers know email filters can’t scan those types of files. If you don’t have a professional email, those will be delivered to your email box and when you open them, you might get to experience some fun.
These are a few of the benefits of using professional email vs. personal emails; subscribe for more information on Anti-Spam, Anti-Phish, Anti-Malware, Safe Attachments, Safe Links, and Block/Allow lists. Did you know you get a professional email account for less than $100.00 a year? Contact GingerSec at Contact@GingerSec.com to get your professional email.
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