A lot of businesses think email security boils down to simply using strong passwords and installing spam filters, then calling it a day.
But while these are important steps, email threats today are more advanced, more targeted, and harder to spot — even by the most stringent filters.
In order to truly ensure your organization’s email is secure, you need to be vigilant. That’s where email security audits come into play.
Why are email audits so important? Here’s why:
1. Phishing is evolving
Gone are the days of badly worded emails from distant princes promising windfalls of money. Today’s phishing attacks are personalized, realistic, and often indistinguishable from real communications. Even a single fake invoice or calendar invite can be enough to trick even a savvy user.
2. Data leaks can be unintentional
Employees don’t always realize they’re violating email security policies. Forwarding confidential files, copying clients on internal threads, using personal email accounts for work — these unintentional slip-ups can lead to data leaks, lawsuits, and compliance violations.
3. Regulations are getting stricter
If your business handles sensitive client information like health data, financial records, or legal files, email security isn’t optional. Regulations like HIPAA, FINRA, and others require strict data protection and auditing capabilities.
4. Email is a top ransomware target
Hackers love email because it’s fast, scalable, and often poorly defended. One successful phishing link can launch a ransomware attack that locks down your entire organization.
Each of these issues can be addressed, if not completely solved, by regularly conducting email security audits. But only if you go about it the right way.
What makes for an effective email security audit
Every email security audit is a little different, depending on the size of your business, the tools you use, and the industry you work in. Still, there are core components that go into a successful audit, each of which answers a series of questions. Let’s go through them one by one:
User permissions and access controls- Are former employees still able to log in?
- Are users required to use multi-factor authentication (MFA)?
- Are admin privileges limited to only those who absolutely need them?
Email authentication protocols
- Is the Sender Policy Framework (SPF) properly configured?
- Are DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) and Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) in place and enforced?
- Are unauthorized senders being blocked?
Email filtering and threat detection
- Are incoming emails being scanned for known threats?
- Are AI or machine learning tools being used to detect suspicious behavior?
- Are attachments and links analyzed before delivery?
Encryption and data protection
- Is encryption enabled for all emails in transit and at rest?
- Are sensitive attachments protected (e.g., via secure file-sharing or password protection)?
- Is your email archiving system secure and compliant?
Email logs and monitoring
- Are logs being retained and reviewed regularly?
- Is suspicious login activity flagged in real time?
- Can your system trace the origin of an email threat?
User training
- Are employees being trained to identify email threats?
- Are phishing simulations happening regularly?
- Are training results tracked and improving over time?
By answering this laundry list of questions, an email security audit provides a comprehensive summary of where your email policies are being followed — and where there’s still work to be done.
Better safe than sorry
The same things that make email so usable—simplicity, speed, large-scale use—are also what attract hackers to the platform.
The good news is, as sophisticated as cyber criminals are getting with their attacks via the communication tool, conducting regular email security audits goes a long way toward keeping bad actors away.
