50 years ago, engineer Ray Tomlinson sent the world's first email. It was a milestone in the development of digital communication that connected the entire world. It not only facilitated interpersonal contacts but also changed the way many companies operate. However, as the popularity of electronic mail grew, so did the scale of its use for cyberattacks. It is therefore worth knowing how to ensure the security of email, both private and in your workplace.
From one message to 5 billion mailboxes – the history of email
From one message to 5 billion mailboxes – the history of email
Before Ray Tomlinson sent the first email, the concept of electronic mail was being explored by various independent research centers. Noel Morris and Tom van Vleck are considered the precursors of this form of communication. Their program made it possible to send notifications about the completion of file downloads between users of mainframe computers. It was designed for the Compatible Time-Sharing System (CTSS) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). At the same time, several similar solutions were developed, both at the government and commercial levels. These include the Q32 SDC SDS 940 operating system, the U.S. Army's AUTODN system, and IBM's CP/CMS.
However, the real breakthrough came in 1971 thanks to Tomlinson. The result of his work for the U.S. Department of Defense was software used for communication over the government network ARPANET. The content of the first message sent from one computer to another was random and probably read "QWERTYUIOP." Tomlinson also introduced the @ symbol into the email address. Another important date in the history of electronic mail was 2004. That was when Google launched the first version of today's popular Gmail, which initially required an invitation from an existing user to use. In 2011, Microsoft introduced Office 365 to the market. Since then, full-fledged cloud solutions have become widely used in many companies. This changed the way they operate and increased productivity levels.
The scale of cyberattacks using email is growing
The scale of cyberattacks using email is growing
Electronic mail is currently very popular and this is unlikely to change for a long time, as it makes everyday life easier in many areas. There are currently more than 5 billion email addresses, and many users have more than one. They are used equally for business and private communication.
How to ensure email protection in a company?
An estimated 4.1 billion users worldwide send approximately 320 billion emails per day. These numbers show how important a communication tool email is. Unfortunately, cybercriminals know this too. That is why they often choose this route to carry out attacks. According to the 2021 Verizon Data Breach Investigations report, the threat from malicious emails has increased significantly. The rate of successful phishing attacks rose from 25% to 36% over the year. In the case of ransomware attacks, it doubled – 10% of them succeed. The report indicates that a new ransom-extortion tactic has also emerged. Cybercriminals first download data and encrypt files on the victim's device. They then use possession of that data to apply additional pressure, such as threatening to publish it. To break into a company network, cybercriminals also use login credentials. According to the Verizon report, they account for about 58% of what is stolen.
Fortinet experts emphasize that email is closely linked to business operations. That is why companies should take particular care to protect it. The security and privacy of data are of fundamental importance to their operations. This issue plays a similar role in the further development of digital communication.
How to protect email from cyberthreats?
How to protect email from cyberthreats?
We are currently seeing an increase in the number of multi-vector attacks. Early signs can also be seen of cybercriminals using more advanced techniques, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning.
The evolution of the methods used by cybercriminals means that solutions providing email protection must also cover other areas of security infrastructure. Only adapting it to the platform or network infrastructure deployed in the company will enable the exchange of information about so-called Indicators of Compromise (IoC). At the same time, this will improve incident response by cybersecurity teams and relieve them of repetitive work.
Summary
Fifty years after Ray Tomlinson's breakthrough email, electronic mail serves more than 5 billion addresses. However, its ubiquity has become fertile ground for cybercriminals: the Verizon report points to an increase in successful phishing attacks to 36% and a doubling of successful ransomware attacks. Fortinet experts emphasize that mailbox protection must be integrated with the company's entire security infrastructure, and the exchange of Indicators of Compromise (IoC) relieves incident response teams.
