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Jason Ginsberg / 8.28.2023Home / Email Security
What are the two security risks of sending confidential files via email?
What are the two security risks of sending confidential files via email? Learn how to avoid the biggest weak points of your online communication.
According to Verizon, most cybercrimes involve targeting email accounts, causing billions of dollars of damage each year. This statistic is especially concerning because email is the default mode of formal communication for most businesses and individuals.By hacking into email accounts, cybercriminals can access sensitive data like banking information, confidential documents, and login credentials for other accounts—making email security and privacy critical aspects of online safety.This in-depth guide to email security will provide answers to the following questions:
Software automation helps hackers hit many targets simultaneously, especially when they discover vulnerabilities in mainstream email services, such as Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo.Due to the severity of these attacks, sending confidential files via email is not advisable. There’s always a small chance of hackers intercepting your message. If you must send sensitive files as email attachments, always verify the recipient first.
These viruses are constantly evolving, so you can’t rely on your anti-virus software to deal with every threat.This is a great concern because hackers often infect browser extensions with viruses to infiltrate your email account. In 2023 alone, Google removed 32 malware-infected extensions that 75 million people downloaded.
Source: Adobe AcrobatFor DOC files, you can use Microsoft Word to add a password:
Source: ScreenshotThere are two downsides to password-protected documents to consider:
You must enable Confidential Mode to use this feature with Gmail.Besides password protection, this mode employs several other security measures. The Confidential Mode prevents recipients from:
Source: ScreenshotGmail’s Confidential Mode doesn’t stop recipients from taking screenshots of your emails or attachments, making most of its restrictions easy to bypass. Its main advantage is the protection from most phishing attempts via the SMS passcode.
While all tools and features of Skiff's productivity suite are available within the generous free plan, you can easily upgrade to one of the affordable paid plans to get more:
- What are the two security risks of sending confidential files via email?
- How can you protect your email attachments?
- Which email service provider is the most secure?
Create a secure channel with SkiffWhether you want to store or share data, entrust it only to the strongest encryption method
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Top two email security issues and solutions
Sending files containing sensitive information via email is risky due to two major security threats:- Phishing attacks
- Malware distribution
What are phishing attacks?
Hackers use various techniques to impersonate legitimate businesses, people, and organizations via email. This common type of cyber attack, called phishing, aims to trick you into revealing confidential data.The most commonly stolen information includes:- Login credentials for email and other accounts
- Personal address
- Phone number
- Social Security number
- Scans of passports or other IDs
- Credit card number
- Bank account details
| Phishing attack | Explanation |
| Smishing | A type of attack that relies on SMS to scam victims using the phishing technique |
| Whaling | Phishing attempts on high-profile targets, like company executives, politicians, and celebrities |
| Pharming | Emails linking to fake websites of real institutions and organizations. They trick targets into providing login credentials in fraudulent forms |
What is malware, and why is it dangerous?
Receiving files can be as risky as sending them since cybercriminals often use email attachments and links to spread malicious software, also known as malware.The table below breaks down some of the most common types of malware:| Type of malware | Description |
| Scareware | Viruses that infect your operating system and produce fake prompts asking for information or specific actions |
| Spyware | Malware that collects data through keystroke recording, data scraping, and similar activity trackers |
| Ransomware | Programs that lock files on your computer. The only way to regain access is to pay a ransom to the hackers |
| Adware | Aggressive advertising software that generates ad revenue for hackers by displaying annoying pop-ups on infected devices |
Why is sharing confidential files via email dangerous?
Using email to share files containing sensitive information is extremely dangerous, even if you confirm you're communicating with the intended recipient.If their account has been breached, someone might have unauthorized access to their email and, with it, the personal data you send. Even if this is not the case, you have no guarantee that their device is not infected with malware, which could severely compromise their, as well as your, security.Sending files with confidential information as email attachments is also dangerous because the emails can be intercepted in transit.Control who can access your emailsWith its advanced encryption technology, Skiff guarantees full protection at all stages of communication
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How to share files via email securely
You can take several safety measures to ensure files you share online stay secure:- Password-protect your documents
- Password-protect your emails
- Use an encrypted email service
How to password-protect a document
This type of protection ensures only the password holder can access the document. Because of this, it's imperative to be wary of how and where you store and share your code.Most document editors provide this security measure. If you’re sending a PDF, you can use Adobe Acrobat’s free password service. Follow these steps to set up a passcode:- Visit Adobe Acrobat’s password protection page
- Click Select a file
- Choose a PDF from your device
- Click Set Password
- Download the password-protected file
- Open the File submenu
- Select Info
- Click Protect Document
- Choose Encrypt with Password
- Type the password in the dialog box
- Passwords can be cracked
- You may forget your password
How to password-protect your emails
Password-protecting your emails is an excellent security measure—if your email provider supports the feature. Out of the four most popular email services, only one provides optional password protection for emails, as presented in the following table:| Email client | Password-protected emails |
| Gmail | |
| Yahoo Mail | X |
| Outlook | X |
| Apple Mail | X |
- Forwarding the message
- Printing it
- Downloading attachments
- Compose a new email
- Click the padlock icon at the bottom of the screen
- Choose an expiry date
- Check the SMS passcode option
Using an encrypted email service
Email encryption is the most effective safety measure for protecting your messages and attachments. Encryption entails using special codes—encryption keys—to scramble your emails and make them illegible to anyone except the intended recipient.Only the legitimate recipient has the key to decrypt the text and turn it back into regular, readable sentences. If someone intercepts the message, they won’t be able to understand it or access its encrypted attachments.The biggest issue with most encryption methods is the location of the keys. Most email service providers store the keys on their servers, putting your email security at risk in case of a server breach.End-to-end encryption (E2EE) is the only security method that addresses this vulnerability because it entails generating and storing the encryption keys on user devices instead of the provider’s servers.To ensure total email security and privacy, consider an E2EE email platform like Skiff Mail.Encrypt your confidential emails with Skiff
Unlike most mainstream email services, Skiff protects emails with two keys:- Public encryption key—Shared with the recipient automatically when sending an email
- Private decryption key—Unique to the recipient and never shared with anyone
Secure your workflow with Skiff's E2E encrypted ecosystem
A free Skiff account gives you access to Skiff Mail and three other E2EE products rivaling Microsoft Office and Google Workspace. You get a complete productivity suite, including:- Skiff Pages—Encrypted text editor with invite-based collaboration for total access control
- Skiff Drive—Up to 1 TB of encrypted storage on a secure cloud platform, with seamless syncing between devices
- Skiff Calendar—Scheduling app for private time-tracking and confidential video conferences in an encrypted space
Skiff Pages also supports password protection, allowing you to further secure any confidential document before you share it. After adding a password in Skiff Pages, you can freely send the document via Skiff Mail as an attachment.Your work is automatically saved while you’re connected to the Internet, so you don’t have to worry about losing anything while switching between Skiff tools.Skiff offers designated macOS, iOS, and Android apps if you prefer to work on the go. Any changes you make in your browser will automatically be reflected in the mobile apps and vice versa.
- Custom domains
- Email aliases
- Storage space
Create a Skiff account in three easy steps
You can start using all Skiff products in a few quick steps. All you need to do is:- Visit the signup page
- Enter your desired username and password
- Start collaborating in a secure environment with Skiff’s E2EE products
