How Secure Is Your Family's Email? A Quick Guide To Keeping Your Information Safe

Email is one of the most commonly used forms of communication, used by many of us for delivering and receiving both personal and professional information. While the accessibility and ease of emailing cannot be understated, it also poses significant security risks if not used responsibly.

Transmitting sensitive data via email can leave you open to serious matters such as identity theft and cyber attacks, which can damage your devices. For children and teens, there is an additional security risk – criminals may attempt to gain parental personal and financial information via young people, with malicious intentions. 

Discussing cybersecurity with your family is key to protecting everyone, so here’s a quick guide on how to keep your information safe when using email. 

Passwords and two-factor authentication

The first line of defense for keeping all of your online accounts safe, including your email inbox, is a strong password. Enabling two-factor authentication adds an additional layer of security should your password feature in a data leak. With this turned on, even if someone tried to log into your account with the correct password, they wouldn’t be able to.

To ensure passwords are robust, follow these steps:

• Use a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters.

• Avoid birthdays and your name, or the names of family members.

• Change your password regularly, and don’t use the same password for everything.

Know the signs of fraudulent emails

Approximately 3.4 billion spam emails are sent every day, so it’s crucial to know the signs of a fraudulent email. Although cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated in their attacks, there are some telltale signs which can help you to recognize them. Talk with your kids about the importance of assessing emails carefully before responding, opening any attachments, or following any links.

• Check the sender's email – do you recognize it? If it’s supposedly from a company or authority, use Google to check if the email address matches that on the official website.

• Don’t download any attachments or follow any links until you're sure who the sender is, especially if the email is asking you to verify personal details.

• Use an antivirus program to scan emails before opening them – often, malicious emails will automatically end up in your spam folder, but some can slip through.

Be careful when sharing your details online

It can be a disconcerting experience to receive emails from unknown senders, and you may wonder how they got your email address in the first place. Over time, it can be very easy to enter your email address into hundreds, if not thousands, of websites – many have pop-up boxes offering a discount on future purchases if you give them your email address, or require it before you can see the results of a fun quiz. 

It’s important to consider the security of the website you’re on before inputting your personal details. Many websites make money by selling personal information to third parties for marketing purposes, which can be shared infinitely until they end up in the hands of cybercriminals. This can expose you to scams, phishing attacks and security breaches. To minimize the risks:

• Only give your email address to websites you trust and people you know.

• Avoid posting your personal information on public forums, social media or low-quality websites.

• Use separate email addresses. You could have one for fun sites, one for online shopping, and another for important communications, for example. 

By implementing these tips and keeping the conversation around online safety open in your household, you can help to protect your privacy and reduce the risk of falling victim to cybercrime through your emails.