Safeguarding emails with secure email gateways

Cybercriminals target emails as a vector to deliver malware, launch phishing attacks, and steal sensitive information. By implementing a robust SEG solution, you can protect your organization from a wide range of email-borne threats, ensure compliance with regulations, and maintain a secure and efficient communication system.

Email-borne threats

Email remains the primary entry point for cyberattacks and a major risk to healthcare and enterprise security. According to the U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), phishing emails are involved in more than 90% of successful cyberattacks, making email the dominant channel that threat actors use to gain initial access to systems and networks.

The FBI’s 2024 Internet Crime Report (IC3) reveals that phishing and email-based spoofing are the top categories of cybercrime complaints received annually, with hundreds of thousands of phishing-related reports filed and losses totaling billions of dollars due to scams initiated through email.

Email-borne threats take many forms, including:

• Phishing: Deceptive messages that trick recipients into revealing login credentials, financial information, or protected health information (PHI).
• Business Email Compromise (BEC): Targeted fraud where attackers impersonate executives or partners to induce wire transfers or access to sensitive systems.
• Malware and ransomware delivery: Attachments or links that install malicious software once opened.
• Spoofing and fraudulent impersonation: Fake messages that look like they come from trusted domains.

Because email communications are intrinsic to daily operations, attackers exploit human vulnerabilities more often than technical flaws. The study, Sustaining Cyber Awareness: The Long-Term Impact of Continuous Phishing Training and Emotional Triggers, shows that social engineering tactics, such as urgency, authority impersonation, and personalization, are the biggest contributing factor to phishing success, and even sophisticated training programs struggle to eliminate misuse entirely.

Why email threats matter to healthcare and HIPAA

For healthcare organizations, email-borne attacks pose direct risks to patient safety, compliance, and sensitive data protection obligations under HIPAA. A successful email attack on a healthcare provider can lead to:

• Unauthorized access to PHI
• Ransomware encryption of clinical systems
• Credential theft, enabling downstream breaches
• Regulatory penalties and breach notifications

These threats risk patient confidentiality and can disrupt clinical operations, compromise diagnostic systems, and expose organizations to significant remediation costs and reputational damage. Given that email is used for routine clinical coordination, communications with vendors, and administrative workflows, robust email security is essential in healthcare environments.

What is a secure email gateway?

A secure email gateway is a security solution designed to monitor and filter email traffic to protect against a wide range of email-borne threats. SEGs act as a barrier between your email server and the external world, scrutinizing incoming and outgoing emails to ensure they are free from malicious content.

Go deeper: What is a secure email gateway (SEG)?

Key features of secure email gateways

• Anti-spam filtering: SEGs utilize advanced algorithms and machine learning to identify and block spam emails before they reach your inbox, reducing the clutter and risk associated with unsolicited messages.
• Anti-malware protection: These gateways scan email attachments and embedded links for malware, ensuring that malicious software does not infiltrate your network through email.
• Phishing protection: SEGs analyze email content to detect and block phishing attempts, protecting users from fraudulent emails that attempt to steal sensitive information.
• Data loss prevention (DLP): By monitoring outbound emails, SEGs help prevent sensitive information from being sent outside the organization, either intentionally or accidentally.
• Email encryption: SEGs can encrypt emails to ensure that sensitive information remains confidential and intact during transmission.
• Content filtering: These gateways block emails containing inappropriate or harmful content, ensuring that only legitimate communications reach users.
• Threat intelligence: SEGs use up-to-date threat intelligence to adapt to emerging threats, ensuring your email security is always current.

Benefits of using secure email gateways

According to Tech Target, “Secure email gateways protect organizations by preventing malicious emails from infiltrating company networks. This is accomplished by quarantining, or blocking, inbound and outbound emails that contain malicious content -- such as malware, spam and phishing attacks -- or that violate enterprise policies.” The benefits of using SEGs include:

• Enhanced security: SEGs provide robust protection against a wide range of email threats, significantly reducing the risk of breaches and data loss.
• Compliance: By preventing data leaks and ensuring secure communications, SEGs help organizations meet regulatory requirements and avoid potential fines.
• Improved productivity: By filtering out spam and malicious emails, SEGs allow employees to focus on legitimate communications, boosting overall productivity.
• Reputation protection: Preventing your email system from being used for malicious purposes protects your organization's reputation and builds trust with clients and partners.

Implementing a secure email gateway: Best practices

• Choose the right SEG solution: Evaluate the features, deployment options (on-premises, cloud-based, or hybrid), scalability, and integration capabilities of different SEG solutions to find the best fit for your organization.
• Set up and configure the SEG: Follow the provider’s guidelines for installation and configuration. Define security policies for spam filtering, malware protection, phishing defense, and content filtering. Implement DLP rules and configure email encryption settings.
• Monitor and manage email traffic: Use the SEG’s dashboard to monitor email traffic and threats in real time. Establish procedures for responding to detected threats and incidents, and keep the SEG updated with the latest threat intelligence and software patches.
• Educate and train employees: Conduct regular training sessions on email security best practices and run phishing simulations to help employees recognize and report phishing attempts.
• Regular audits and assessments: Perform regular security audits to ensure the SEG is functioning correctly and policies are effective. Adjust policies based on audit results and evolving threats.

Paubox SEG

Paubox offers a HIPAA compliant secure email gateway that combines automatic encryption for outbound email with advanced inbound threat protection designed for the healthcare industry. In addition to guaranteeing compliance with HIPAA, its SEG assists organizations in defending against phishing, spoofing, malware, and other email-borne dangers.

Benefits of using Paubox

• Built for HIPAA compliant email: Paubox encrypts every outbound email by default using AES-256 encryption and modern Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols, ensuring PHI remains secure in transit without requiring user action, such as clicking encryption buttons. This helps healthcare organizations meet HIPAA Security Rule requirements for safeguarding electronic PHI.
• Inbound threat protection beyond rule-based filters: Traditional SEGs often rely on static rules and keyword filters that can miss sophisticated phishing and impersonation attacks. Paubox’s solution uses AI-powered inbound email security that analyzes sender behavior, message context, and tone to detect advanced threats, including domain spoofing, display name impersonation, and social engineering, before they reach users’ inboxes.
• Zero-trust filtering: Unlike legacy filters, Paubox SEG operates within a zero-trust framework, meaning it continuously verifies the legitimacy of inbound emails against known patterns and organizational behavior. Emails that fail verification are quarantined or blocked, reducing risk from evolving threats that traditional filters might overlook.
• Seamless integration and workflow: Paubox integrates with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Exchange, and other common enterprise email stacks, allowing organizations to strengthen email security without disrupting existing workflows. By automating encryption and threat scanning at the gateway level, it reduces manual workload for IT teams and minimizes accidental PHI exposure.

See also: HIPAA Compliant Email: The Definitive Guide

FAQs

How does a secure email gateway work?

SEGs analyze incoming and outgoing emails using advanced algorithms, machine learning, and threat intelligence. They scan for malicious attachments, links, and suspicious content, blocking or quarantining any detected threats. SEGs also apply policies for data loss prevention and email encryption.

What types of threats can a secure email gateway protect against?

SEGs protect against a variety of email-borne threats, including spam, malware, phishing attacks, spoofing, and data leaks. They also help enforce email policies and prevent the transmission of sensitive information outside the organization.

Are there any limitations to SEGs?

While SEGs provide robust protection, they are not infallible. Sophisticated threats may occasionally bypass SEG defenses, and user behavior (e.g., clicking on malicious links) can still lead to compromises. It’s important to complement SEGs with other security measures like endpoint protection, network security, and ongoing user education.

See also: Why do cyberattacks happen?