Mail security

An email security gateway monitors emails being sent to an organization for unwanted content, and it prevents these messages from being delivered. Most email security gateways also offer similar monitoring capabilities for outbound emails.

Unwanted content in email messages includes malware, phishing attacks and spam. Some email security gateways are also able to detect and block the transmission of sensitive data, such as credit card numbers, Social Security numbers and healthcare records.

Email security gateways come in several forms, including:

public cloud-based;
hybrid (a combination of public and private clouds);
hardware appliance on premises;
virtual appliance on premises; and
email server-based.

Security features

Each of these forms offers similar functionality. In fact, many email security gateway products are available in two or more of these forms, typically with identical capabilities. Where the forms differ somewhat is in their relative performance and security.

The basic security functions that every email security gateway performs are fundamentally the same: antivirus, antimalware, antiphishing and antispam. Buyers must be aware that this does not simply all gateways are equally effective when it comes to detecting and stopping threats. Traditional antivirus, antimalware, antiphishing and antispam features are all less effective than they used to be because attack techniques have evolved to evade detection. Email security gateway vendors have compensated for this by integrating more advanced detection techniques into their products. One of these techniques is known as sandboxing.

Sandboxing uses an isolated environment to test a file to see how it behaves when opened, executed or otherwise accessed. Using a sandbox provides a safe way to identify malware by monitoring its behavior.

Another advanced detection technique involves the use of threat intelligence. Threat intelligence is information about current threats — such as IP addresses of hosts that have been attacking other hosts — that an organization can use to make better decisions about which activities to allow and which to block.

Our solution?

Mojit is implementing mail security solutions from Cisco (Iron Port) and Symantec (Symantec Messaging Gateway). If you would like to learn more about these two worlds leading solutions, for Cisco Iron Port please visit this webpage, and for Symantec Messaging Gateway please visit this webpage.