Is Your Email Gateway the Biggest Flaw in Your Email Security?
- Netmarks Singapore
- Oct 2
- 3 min read
Email continues to be the single largest conduit for cybercrime, a fact starkly highlighted in the latest FBI IC3 report. According to an analysis by Proofpoint, email-based threats drove record cybercrime losses in 2024. The report identified Phishing as the most common attack with over 193,000 incidents, while Business Email Compromise (BEC) was the second costliest crime, inflicting a staggering $2.77 billion in losses.
These numbers reveal a critical challenge: your email gateway is being assaulted by two distinct but equally dangerous threats—high-volume deception (phishing) and high-value fraud (BEC). If your current email security is not equipped to handle both, it represents your organisation's most significant vulnerability.
The Evolving Tactics Bypassing Traditional Defences
Cybercriminals are no longer just sending viruses; they are exploiting human behavior with increasingly sophisticated tactics that legacy filters fail to catch:
Advanced Phishing: Attackers now use tactics like QR codes to bypass link detection, embedding malicious payloads in PDF attachments, and leveraging compromised or look-alike domains to impersonate trusted brands.
Targeted BEC Attacks: These are purely social engineering. Threat actors meticulously research their targets to impersonate executives or suppliers, tricking employees into making fraudulent wire transfers without a single line of malicious code.
Human-Activated Threats: The common thread is the exploitation of human trust and error. The goal is to trick a person, not just a machine.
Building a Multi-Layered Email Security Defence: A Technical Blueprint
A modern email security strategy requires a defence-in-depth architecture that can counter these specific threats, leveraging technologies from industry leaders like Fortinet and Microsoft Defender.
Layer 1 Countering High-Volume Phishing (AI-Powered Filtering)
To combat the nearly 200,000 phishing incidents, you need proactive prevention. AI-powered filters analyse message intent, sender-recipient relationships, and linguistic cues to detect and quarantine sophisticated phishing attempts that traditional spam filters would miss.
Layer 2: Dismantling the $2.77B BEC Threat (Spoofing Defence)
The most effective technical defence against BEC is sender verification. Implementing and enforcing email authentication standards like DMARC, DKIM, and SPF is critical. These protocols allow your systems to verify that an email is from the domain it claims to be, effectively blocking the domain spoofing and impersonation tactics at the heart of BEC fraud.
Layer 3: Neutralising Unknown Payloads (Advanced Threat Protection)
For the threats that do carry a payload, like ransomware hidden in a document, Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) is essential. Technologies like sandboxing—offered in solutions such as Fortinet's FortiMail—execute attachments in a secure, isolated environment to identify malicious behaviour before it can cause harm.
Conclusion: Shifting From Reactive Defence to Proactive Prevention
The 2024 IC3 report is a clear call to action. Email-borne threats are growing more targeted, costly, and damaging. A reactive defence is no longer enough. To stay ahead, organisations must shift to a proactive prevention model that combines robust technical validation (DMARC), intelligent detection (AI), and advanced threat analysis (ATP). This is how you transform your most vulnerable gateway into your most resilient defence.
Secure Your Primary Threat Vector Today
Protect your organisation from the costly and evolving threats of phishing and BEC. Contact Netmarks Singapore to learn how our email security solutions, leveraging powerful technologies from Fortinet and Microsoft, can safeguard your communications and secure your business.
Email: enquiries@netmarks.com.sg
WhatsApp: +65 8902 3303
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