Archives - Email Tips

Recognize common email scams

The “Nigerian prince” scheme is one of the best-known email scams, but it’s hardly the only one. Others to look out for include messages purporting to be from government agencies (which pretty much never communicate with individuals this way) and communications from ISPS and software vendors, if they claim to include software patches/updates that would […]

Always double-check email attachments

Email attachments can be dangerous. They might contain malware that triggers an infection when downloaded. Even if you receive an attachment from someone you know, think about it before opening it and, if you’re unsure if it’s legitimate, follow up with that person separately. Cyberattackers have become adept at spoofing return addresses to make it […]

Prevent your emails from being forwarded and copied

You might occasionally send sensitive emails containing words and/or attachments intended only for a specific person. To prevent these items from being copied or forwarded, you can take advantage of features in Gmail and Outlook that encrypt your messages and ensure they are of no use to anyone other than original intended recipient.

Set up email filters for maximum control and protection

Today’s automatic filters are pretty good at keeping spam out of your inbox. However, they don’t catch everything, meaning the occasional oddball message will still slip through. Good news: You can protect your account with advanced filters configured for specific addresses and domains. Gmail, Yahoo and other major mail providers all include these features.

Regularly delete emails in your spam folder

Depending on the time of year, spam messages account for between 50 and 60 percent of all email traffic. In addition to containing potentially dangerous content, at that volume they can also easily eat up your entire inbox capacity. Instead of waiting the normal 30 days for automatic deletion, consider manually mass-deleting them each day […]

Turn off HTML rendering in your email client

Many email security risks, including the recent PGP hack, stem from the use of HTML and CSS within content-rich emails. Depending on your email client, you may be able to disable HTML, which simplifies the email reading experience and mitigates the risks from some attacks reliant on this vector.