Information Security is a growing concern of this modern age where people interact online and share information across the globe. Especially when visitors/customers try to shop online and submit credit card or bank account data, they require ample security that can assure them that their data will remain intact online.
However, for a few years, the SSL certificate has been one of the most secure ways, and out of them, an EV SSL certificate is mostly used by eCommerce. Yes, the eCommerce website mostly enables EV SSL for its customers’ information security. That is another story as in this article; we will focus on one of the major threats of online surfing, Spam email that could take your information away if you do not provide attention to daily receiving or sending spam emails.
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About Spam Mails
We daily get plenty of spam emails, and many innocent users unknowingly click on spam links included in the email. However, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and other email providers strongly watch over spam emails and have their own filters to restrict such emails.
Even a user can also block suspicious email addresses. Still, every year many users fall prey victim to spamming. Spammers always send such emails with infected devices, and many emails have malicious links that lead users to unknown sites, asking for login credentials. Spam can happen because of a few reasons, and two of them are weak passwords and registration on phishing sites.
Spoofing Emails
Email address spoofing can also be referred to as forfeiting or faking your email address. The perpetrator uses your “From” address to send emails without having access to your email account. Sadly, there is no workaround for this activity. The spam emails will stop once the criminal changes the focus from your email address to spoofing another address.
To confirm spoofing, you should have the email copy with headers and see the IP address from which the email was sent.
Once you have these details, you can share the IP address with your ISP and request them to block it. The only challenge with this is that the criminal can change the IP address, and it is likely that the ISP will not accept your request.
Hijacking Emails
Getting your email address hijacked is more unfortunate than spoofing. Hijacking means the attacker gains authority over your account. They will be able to check your emails and send spam emails to your friends, family, or colleagues. Worse still, you will get locked out of your account.
The good thing is you have a solution for hijacking. You should reset your password immediately whenever you find out that spam emails are being sent from your email address. You are sorted if you can change the password successfully. However, if in case the mail service does not accept the password, you are in trouble because the hijacker has reset your password and taken over your account.
In case you are connected to the email account and can get emails, you can attempt to log in from another device or use the private mode of the browser. Type in your current password and select the “Forgot password” or “Need help” option when the login attempt fails. You will receive a new password from the service that you should make sure to check before the hijacker does.
If this too does not work, you should get in touch with the mail service and try to resolve the issue. Besides, if you have the same password for all your other accounts, you should reset them immediately.
After you find that things are in place, apologize to all those who have received your spam email that appeared to be sent from your account.
Preventive Measures to be Taken
1. Have your operating system up to date. You should download and install all the crucial updates from Microsoft or Apple, whichever applies to you. It is advisable to have automatic updates enabled.
2. Run a virus scan on your device through reliable anti-virus software. If it recognizes any suspicious programs or applications, remove them as soon as possible.
3. Change your passwords at regular intervals. Go to cPanel → Email Accounts to reset your password. Include numbers, characters, and alphabets in your password. Keep in mind that you have different passwords for every website. This will ensure better account security.
4. Make use of a secure connection to sign in to your email account. Build the email client with SSL settings to ensure secure operations. It will help you to prevent a security breach from being connected to the mail server.
5. You should not write down your credentials or share them with anyone.
6. Once you come to know that you were attacked by spyware, change all the passwords for the email accounts and websites. Also, follow the practice for identity theft recovery.
7. For some reason, if you are unable to change your account password because of a compromise in the account, you should get in touch with the contact support of the concerned websites to get your account ownership back.
Wrap Up
Spam emails are really a nuisance, and they can damage your reputation in society, at least momentarily when the email is received. It can be a huge embarrassment for you at times. To prevent this, make sure that you follow the tips discussed above and keep all your accounts protected from the reach of hackers.
