According to research, email remains the preferred medium of communication for nearly 86% of professionals. The average office employee receives 121 emails daily and sends roughly 40 business-related messages. The Radicati Group's 2017 study reports that 269 billion emails are sent daily to over 3.7 billion email users globally. Consequently, cyber-attacks leveraging email are also skyrocketing.

Due to the significant shift towards a work-from-home culture because of the pandemic, more vital data is now communicated through email than ever before. This influx has led to increased email fatigue and created more opportunities for phishing scams. With 94% of malware currently sent via email, cybercriminals are targeting inboxes like never before.

Email fatigue is a condition where users feel overwhelmed by the volume of emails they receive. This can result in unsubscriptions, low engagement rates, and many spam reports. While spam is an old tactic, it is still used maliciously by hackers to verify and expand their lists. Clicking on a malicious link in a spam email can lead to more dangerous phishing attempts and malware payloads.

One notable phishing attack occurred at Five Rivers Health Centers in Dayton, Ohio, where 155,000 patient details were exposed due to an email phishing attack. In 2020, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in the UK investigated over 10,000 phishing scams exploiting coronavirus concerns.

Spear phishing remains a significant threat, responsible for 95% of attacks on enterprise networks. Levitas Capital, an Australian hedge fund, fell victim to a whaling attack (a targeted spear-phishing method) in November 2020, costing them $800,000 and leading to the permanent closure of the company. Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks have also wreaked havoc globally, affecting notable entities like Shark Tank Host Barbara Corcoran, who lost $380,000, and Japan’s media giant Nikkei, which mistakenly sent $29 million based on a fraudulent email.

Cybercriminals continuously refine their tactics to manipulate victims emotionally through fear, greed, curiosity, and pleas for help. This strategy is also commonly used by ransomware-as-a-service attackers.

A one-layer security strategy is no longer sufficient in protecting against these evolving threats. A multi-layered approach, such as using Acronis Cyber Protect's URL filtering technology, can prevent malware downloads and block harmful domains before affecting systems. To complement these defenses, Mari, an AI Email Inbox Manager, offers advanced protection by filtering emails, recognizing phishing scams, and automatically deleting malicious messages to ensure a safe and clutter-free inbox.

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