Private Email: 5 Tips for Keeping Your Email Secure (2024)

Private Email: 5 Tips for Keeping Your Email Secure (1)

Despite the fact that many of us can’t function without checking our email on a regular basis, we often take the privacy and security of our inboxes for granted. But if there’s one thing we learned from the Sony Pictures hack, it’s that email is a prime target for hackers and data thieves — and it’s not a particularly difficult one, either.

And then, there’s the issue of surveillance. While most of us aren’t spies emailing U.S. secrets to unfriendly nations, the idea that somebody might have a back door into our personal emails is more than a little unsettling.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that secure, private email isn’t possible. It’s just up to you to take a few precautions to keep your email safe:

1. Use two-factor authentication

The basic principle of two-factor authentication is simple: combine something you know with something you have. One example is a debit card, which requires you to have both your physical card and your PIN to verify your identity. By enabling two-factor authentication (or two-step verification), you aren’t putting all of your faith in a password. That’s a good thing, considering how often users have weak passwords . For Gmail, setting up two-step verification is as simple as clicking a button and entering in your mobile number. ForOutlook, it’s a similar process. Just log in, go to your “Password and security” tab and click “Set up two-step verification.” Now that you’ve enabled two-factor authentication, a hacker with your password is out of luck — unless they’ve also managed to steal your cell phone.

2. Limit forwarding

When we’re sent a message we want to share, we often click “Forward” without thinking about the consequences. Where is the message going? Who will see it? Where will it be stored? If your email is hosted on a corporate server, it is likely there are certain security measures in place to protect any sensitive information contained in your private email. When someone forwards an internal email to a recipient outside of your company, however, you are exposing that data (as well as any other emails in the forwarded chain) to potentially unsecured, unencrypted servers.Similarly, if you’re a covered entity sending email containing protected health information (PHI) to a business associate, all it takes is one employee to forward that email to an unauthorized recipient to violate HIPAA.

3. Set expiration dates on your messages

While some of us can’t stand a messy inbox, the average user doesn’t bother cleaning up their private email, often seeing deleting email as a waste of time. Considering more than 50 percent of us receive at least 11 emails a day, can you blame them?That means that any sensitive information you send to a client could very well be sitting there months later. At that point, you no longer control the fate of your data.Luckily, Virtru lets you set an expiration date on your email, so that after a certain date, it will no longer be readable by the recipient (or anyone else, for that matter).

4. Understand your service provider’s TOS

Your email provider’s terms of service can tell you a lot more than their media interviews and advertisem*nts can. For starters, it’ll let you know what kind of security they are offering you. Are they encrypting messages on their server? Do they have protections against brute-force attacks? Is there any guarantee that your data is being protected? While you might think your email provider has your best interests in mind, there’s a good chance that they don’t have the same expectations you do. Take Google for example, which openly passes private email through automated scanning. After reading your email provider’s TOS, you’ll likely realize that keeping your private email secure isn’t their first priority — that’s entirely up to you.

5. Encrypt your email

The best way to keep your private email away from prying eyes and hackers is to use encryption. Encryption protects your private email by jumbling up your messages, making them impossible to decipher unless you explicitly authorize someone to read them.If you are using a client-side encryption service like Virtru, even if your inbox is compromised, the contents of your message will be unreadable. Likewise, you don’t have to worry about your messages being intercepted after you send them, either by hackers or nosey service providers. As an added bonus, if your email ends up getting stored on a server outside of your control, you still have power over who gets to see it — and you can revoke that permission at any time.

While email may not have been designed to be secure, but users can enjoy added privacy and security with a few workarounds. Virtru works with the email service you’re already using to provide true client-sideemail encryption for your messages and attachments. Request a demo of Virtru today to see how easy it is to protect your email privacy.

Private Email: 5 Tips for Keeping Your Email Secure (2)

Editorial Team

The editorial team consists of Virtru brand experts, content editors, and vetted field authorities. We ensure quality, accuracy, and integrity through robust editorial oversight, review, and optimization of content from trusted sources, including use of generative AI tools.

View more posts by Editorial Team

See Virtru In Action

Sign Up for the Virtru Newsletter

Private Email: 5 Tips for Keeping Your Email Secure (2024)
Top Articles
Benefits of the Standardized Recipe
Relight a Candle Without Touching it | Scientist Factory
Silver Spring, MD to Nanuet, NY Bus
Lesson 1 Homework 5.5 Answer Key
Www Solomon's Words For The Wise
Good Morning American Deals And Steals
Splunk Stats Count By Hour
Epidermis Function: How Skin Protects You and How You Can Protect It
Complete List of 90 Comenity Bank Store Credit Cards in 2024 [Includes Easy Approval Cards]
Fantasy Football Week 3: 5 players who could make or break your lineups
Emerson Naturals Kratom
Stone Eater Bike Park
Best Luxury Suv Lease Deals 2022
St Anthony Hospital Crown Point Visiting Hours
Newsweek Wordle
Reston, VA | Reston Demographics in 2024
Final Fantasy VIII – Guide and Walkthrough
Asur Season 1 Download Filmyzilla
Urban Dictionary Fov
Lima Crime Stoppers
Intelligencer Journal from Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Walmart Auto Care Centers Salem Photos
Katherine Grant Wilkes County Ga
What Do Noom Coins Get Me
Suffix With Pent Crossword Clue
Missouri Highway Patrol Crash
Community Profile | City of Piedmont
Recruiting: Alabama trying to flip Michigan football's top 2025 commit
Pronounce Oneirology
Pcc Skilled Nursing Login
Sdsu Fall 2022 Final Exam Schedule
14314 County Road 15 Holiday City Oh
Chest Compressor Mr Mine
Sea Guini Dress Code
Walmart Tire And Lube Center Near Me
Imvu Hov
Hal Leonard Library
Tacoholic St Joseph
Evansville Craigslist Com
Telegram Scat
Www.patientnotebook/Rpa
Eversource Outage Map Cape Cod
Sailboat - sailing yacht - for sale
Kamzz Llc
F92385 (FFT2385) Frontier Flight Tracking and History - FlightAware
Lucki White House Lyrics
Somerset Daily American Newspaper Obituaries
Jess Bush Wikifeet
T.j. Maxx And Homegoods Woburn Photos
Worldfree4U Movies In
Gegp Ihub
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Pres. Carey Rath

Last Updated:

Views: 5803

Rating: 4 / 5 (41 voted)

Reviews: 80% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Pres. Carey Rath

Birthday: 1997-03-06

Address: 14955 Ledner Trail, East Rodrickfort, NE 85127-8369

Phone: +18682428114917

Job: National Technology Representative

Hobby: Sand art, Drama, Web surfing, Cycling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Leather crafting, Creative writing

Introduction: My name is Pres. Carey Rath, I am a faithful, funny, vast, joyous, lively, brave, glamorous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.