Industry-Specific Email Security Guides

The authoritative security guides tailored to your industry. Expert threat intelligence, compliance requirements, and defense strategies used by security professionals across all sectors.

Healthcare & Life Sciences

Threat Level: CRITICALAvg. Ransom: $1.85M
Key Regulations:
HIPAAHITECHFDA 21 CFR Part 11

Top Email Threats

Ransomware

Very High

Impact: Patient care disruption, data breach, regulatory fines

Real-World Example:

2023: Universal Health Services - 400 facilities affected, surgeries delayed, $67M recovery cost. Attackers gained access via phishing email to IT admin.

Defense Strategies:
  • Email sandboxing for all attachments
  • Segment clinical systems from corporate email
  • Offline backups with 3-2-1 rule
  • Incident response plan with patient safety protocols

PHI Data Theft

High

Impact: HIPAA violations ($50K-$1.5M per incident), patient privacy breach

Real-World Example:

2015: Anthem BCBS phishing attack - 80M patient records stolen, $115M settlement. Attackers used spear phishing targeting HR department.

Defense Strategies:
  • DLP policies for PHI in email
  • Encryption for all email containing PHI
  • Access controls - need-to-know basis
  • Annual HIPAA security training

Prescription Fraud

Medium

Impact: Patient harm, DEA violations, malpractice liability

Real-World Example:

Attackers compromise physician email, send fraudulent prescriptions for controlled substances to pharmacies.

Defense Strategies:
  • Multi-factor authentication for all clinical users
  • Digital signatures for prescriptions
  • Pharmacist verification procedures
  • Monitor for unusual prescription patterns

Compliance Requirements

HIPAA Security Rule

  • Access controls - unique user IDs, automatic logoff
  • Audit controls - log all email access to PHI
  • Integrity controls - detect unauthorized PHI alteration
  • Transmission security - encrypt PHI in transit

HIPAA Privacy Rule

  • Minimum necessary - limit PHI in email to essential
  • Business Associate Agreements with email vendors
  • Patient authorization for PHI disclosures
  • Breach notification within 60 days

Industry Best Practices

  • Never email unencrypted PHI
  • Use secure messaging platforms for patient communication
  • Train staff on phishing targeting healthcare (fake insurance claims, patient records requests)
  • Implement email retention policies (6+ years for medical records)
  • Regular risk assessments per HIPAA requirements

Financial Services & Banking

Threat Level: CRITICALAvg. Ransom: $2.1M
Key Regulations:
PCI DSSSOXGLBAFINRASEC

Top Email Threats

Business Email Compromise (BEC)

Very High

Impact: $120K average loss, reputation damage, regulatory scrutiny

Real-World Example:

2019: Puerto Rico's FirstBank - $1.7M wire fraud. Attackers impersonated bank executives via compromised email accounts, requested wire transfers.

Defense Strategies:
  • Out-of-band verification for ALL wire transfers (phone call to known number)
  • Keyword alerts: 'wire', 'urgent', 'confidential', dollar amounts >$50K
  • Segregation of duties - dual authorization for transfers
  • Customer education on BEC tactics

Phishing for Credentials

Very High

Impact: Account takeover, fraudulent transactions, data breach

Real-World Example:

2023: Major bank customers targeted with fake 'fraud alert' emails. Links led to perfect clone of online banking login page. 10,000+ credentials stolen.

Defense Strategies:
  • Hardware security keys (FIDO2) for all employees
  • IP whitelisting for banking systems
  • Behavioral analytics for login anomalies
  • Customer phishing education campaigns

Payment Card Data Theft

Medium

Impact: PCI DSS violations ($5K-$100K/month), card reissuance costs

Real-World Example:

Attackers compromise merchant email, intercept customer payment data sent via email (PCI DSS violation).

Defense Strategies:
  • NEVER send card data via email (PCI DSS requirement)
  • Secure payment portals only
  • PCI DSS annual training for all staff
  • DLP policies blocking credit card numbers in email

Compliance Requirements

PCI DSS 4.0

  • No cardholder data in email (Requirement 4.2)
  • Encrypt all email with sensitive authentication data (Requirement 4.2.1)
  • Anti-phishing controls and awareness training (Requirement 12.6)
  • Incident response for email compromise (Requirement 12.10)

SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley)

  • Email retention for financial communications (7 years)
  • Access controls for financial data in email
  • Audit trails for email system changes
  • Disclosure controls for material information

Industry Best Practices

  • Implement transaction verification via separate channel (SMS, phone)
  • Monitor for unusual wire transfer requests, especially targeting finance department
  • Quarterly phishing simulations focused on financial scenarios
  • Executive protection program for C-suite and CFO office
  • Partner with law enforcement - FBI IC3, Secret Service

Education & Universities

Threat Level: HIGHAvg. Ransom: $1.1M
Key Regulations:
FERPACOPPA (K-12)CIPATitle IX

Top Email Threats

Ransomware

Very High

Impact: Classes canceled, research data lost, operations disrupted for weeks

Real-World Example:

2023: Los Angeles Unified School District - 600K+ students affected, classes disrupted, 500GB of data stolen. Ransom demand: $40M. Attack vector: phishing email.

Defense Strategies:
  • Segment student/research networks from administrative email
  • Offline backups for critical systems (student records, research data)
  • Cyber insurance with ransomware coverage
  • Incident response plan coordinated with law enforcement

Student Data Breach

High

Impact: FERPA violations, identity theft of minors, lawsuits

Real-World Example:

2022: University employee fell for phishing email, provided credentials. Attackers accessed student portal with SSNs, addresses, financial aid data for 40,000 students.

Defense Strategies:
  • Multi-factor authentication for all systems with FERPA data
  • Data minimization - don't store SSNs in email
  • DLP policies for student records (grades, SSNs, addresses)
  • Annual FERPA training for all faculty and staff

Research IP Theft

Medium

Impact: Loss of competitive advantage, grant funding jeopardized, national security concerns

Real-World Example:

Foreign state actors target university researchers via spear phishing to steal research data on defense, AI, biotech projects.

Defense Strategies:
  • Classify research by sensitivity level
  • Export control training for international collaboration
  • Segregate high-value research on air-gapped systems
  • FBI partnership for counterintelligence awareness

Compliance Requirements

FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)

  • Access controls - only authorized users can access student records
  • Audit logging for all access to education records
  • Encryption for email containing student data
  • Parental consent for disclosure of minor student data

COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act)

  • Parental consent for email collection from children <13
  • Data minimization - only collect necessary information
  • Safeguards for children's data
  • No third-party disclosures without consent

Industry Best Practices

  • Phishing awareness training for students (freshman orientation)
  • Faculty/staff training on FERPA and email security
  • Separate email systems for K-12 (age-appropriate security)
  • Student email monitoring for threats/cyberbullying (with policy disclosure)
  • Collaboration with campus police on cybercrime investigations

Government & Public Sector

Threat Level: CRITICALAvg. Ransom: $1.4M
Key Regulations:
FISMAFedRAMPCJISState Data Breach Laws

Top Email Threats

Nation-State Cyber Espionage

High

Impact: National security compromise, classified data theft, election interference

Real-World Example:

2020: SolarWinds supply chain attack - Russian APT compromised U.S. government agencies including Treasury, Commerce, DHS. Attackers accessed email systems for months.

Defense Strategies:
  • Zero-trust architecture for all government email
  • Air-gapped systems for classified communications
  • Continuous monitoring for APT indicators
  • Intelligence sharing via CISA, FBI, NSA

Ransomware on Critical Infrastructure

High

Impact: Public services disrupted, emergency response compromised, citizen data exposed

Real-World Example:

2021: Colonial Pipeline ransomware - 5,500 mile fuel pipeline shut down, gas shortages across East Coast. Attack began with compromised VPN credentials from phishing.

Defense Strategies:
  • Network segmentation - critical infrastructure isolated
  • CISA alerts and threat intelligence feeds
  • Mutual aid agreements for incident response
  • Regular exercises with DHS and CISA

Citizen Data Breach

Medium

Impact: State breach notification laws, lawsuits, loss of public trust

Real-World Example:

2023: State DMV employee clicked phishing link, providing credentials. Attackers accessed database with driver's licenses, SSNs for 2M residents.

Defense Strategies:
  • Comply with state breach notification laws (varies by state)
  • Encrypt all PII in email and at rest
  • Background checks for employees with access to PII
  • Public notification protocols in incident response plan

Compliance Requirements

FISMA (Federal Information Security Modernization Act)

  • NIST 800-53 security controls for federal email systems
  • Continuous monitoring and annual assessments
  • Incident reporting to US-CERT within 1 hour
  • Supply chain risk management

FedRAMP (Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program)

  • Cloud email providers must be FedRAMP authorized
  • Continuous monitoring via ConMon
  • Incident response per FedRAMP requirements
  • Annual penetration testing

Industry Best Practices

  • Implement NIST Cybersecurity Framework
  • Participate in CISA cyber exercises and information sharing
  • Public-private partnerships for threat intelligence
  • Citizen cybersecurity awareness campaigns
  • Regular coordination with FBI, Secret Service, DHS

Retail & E-Commerce

Threat Level: HIGHAvg. Ransom: $950K
Key Regulations:
PCI DSSState Data Breach LawsCCPA/CPRA (California)

Top Email Threats

Supply Chain Compromise

High

Impact: Point-of-sale malware, customer data breach, brand reputation damage

Real-World Example:

2013: Target breach - HVAC vendor credentials stolen via phishing email. Attackers pivoted to POS systems, stole 40M credit cards. Cost: $292M.

Defense Strategies:
  • Vet all vendors for cybersecurity practices
  • Segregate vendor access from POS/payment systems
  • Require vendor security attestations and audits
  • Incident response plan includes vendor compromise scenarios

Gift Card Fraud

High

Impact: $50K-$200K average loss, customer complaints, chargeback costs

Real-World Example:

Attackers compromise retail employee email, intercept gift card orders and codes, resell on dark web. Or use phishing to steal customer accounts with stored gift card balances.

Defense Strategies:
  • Multi-factor authentication for employee email and POS access
  • Fraud detection for unusual gift card activity
  • Customer account monitoring for unauthorized access
  • Gift card balance alerts to customers

Credential Stuffing via Phished Credentials

Medium

Impact: Customer account takeover, fraudulent purchases, loyalty point theft

Real-World Example:

Phishing campaigns harvest customer credentials, use them in credential stuffing attacks against retailer sites. Attackers drain loyalty points, make fraudulent purchases.

Defense Strategies:
  • Customer education on password reuse risks
  • Implement CAPTCHA and rate limiting
  • Monitor for credential stuffing attack patterns
  • Prompt password resets after known breaches

Compliance Requirements

PCI DSS 4.0

  • Quarterly network scans and annual penetration tests
  • Never store CVV/PIN data
  • Encrypt cardholder data in transmission
  • Annual PCI compliance training for all staff

CCPA/CPRA (California Consumer Privacy Act)

  • Data inventory - know what customer data is in email
  • Honor consumer rights requests (deletion, access)
  • Breach notification within 72 hours
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information compliance

Industry Best Practices

  • Phishing awareness training focused on supply chain, gift card, and credential theft scenarios
  • Incident response plan includes customer notification and credit monitoring
  • Regular PCI DSS audits and compliance validation
  • Customer communication on email security best practices
  • Cyber insurance with coverage for data breaches and business interruption