{"id":1371,"date":"2025-12-09T13:53:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T13:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.4uhosting.co.uk\/articles\/knowledgebase\/essential-email-security-advice\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T14:00:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T13:00:49","slug":"essential-email-security-advice","status":"publish","type":"kb_article","link":"https:\/\/www.4uhosting.co.uk\/articles\/knowledgebase\/essential-email-security-advice\/","title":{"rendered":"Essential Email Security Advice"},"content":{"rendered":"

Email accounts are accessible from the internet, so it is important to protect them properly.<\/p>\n

The advice below will help reduce spam, password attacks, and the risk of an email account being compromised.<\/p>\n

Avoid Publishing Email Addresses on Your Website<\/h2>\n

Putting an email address directly on a website makes it easy for spam bots to collect it.<\/p>\n

If possible, use a contact form instead of publishing a plain email address or mailto link.<\/p>\n

If you do publish an address, understand that it may receive more spam and may be more likely to be targeted by automated login attempts.<\/p>\n

Avoid Obvious Email Addresses<\/h2>\n

Common email addresses such as info@<\/strong>, sales@<\/strong>, support@<\/strong>, and common first names are easy to guess.<\/p>\n

You can still use them if you need to, but they are more likely to receive spam and login attempts.<\/p>\n

If the address does not need to be public, consider using something less predictable.<\/p>\n

Use Strong Passwords<\/h2>\n

Weak passwords are one of the most common reasons email accounts are compromised.<\/p>\n

Do not use:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Names<\/li>\n
  • Places<\/li>\n
  • Birth dates<\/li>\n
  • Single dictionary words<\/li>\n
  • The same password you use elsewhere<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Use a long password with a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols.<\/p>\n

    If you need help remembering passwords, use a reputable password manager.<\/p>\n

    Use a Unique Email Password<\/h2>\n

    Do not use the same password for your mailbox that you use for websites, social media, shopping accounts, or your customer account.<\/p>\n

    If another website is breached and you reused the same password, attackers may try the same details against your email account.<\/p>\n

    Use Secure Mail Settings<\/h2>\n

    Use encrypted mail settings whenever possible.<\/p>\n

    Recommended settings:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Incoming IMAP: 993<\/strong> with SSL\/TLS<\/li>\n
    • Incoming POP3: 995<\/strong> with SSL\/TLS<\/li>\n
    • Outgoing SMTP: 465<\/strong> with SSL\/TLS<\/li>\n
    • Alternative SMTP: 587<\/strong> with STARTTLS<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      SMTP authentication should always be enabled.<\/p>\n

      Keep Devices Secure<\/h2>\n

      Keep your computer, phone, and tablet updated.<\/p>\n

      Use antivirus or security software where appropriate, especially on Windows devices.<\/p>\n

      Be careful with public WiFi, shared computers, and any device you do not control.<\/p>\n

      Watch for Brute Force Attacks<\/h2>\n

      Attackers often try common mailbox names with large lists of passwords.<\/p>\n

      Our systems can block many repeated failed login attempts, but a weak password can still be guessed eventually.<\/p>\n

      Strong, unique passwords are the best protection.<\/p>\n

      If You Think an Email Account Is Compromised<\/h2>\n
        \n
      1. Change the mailbox password immediately.<\/li>\n
      2. Check whether any forwarding rules or filters have been added.<\/li>\n
      3. Check your sent mail if available.<\/li>\n
      4. Run a security scan on devices that access the mailbox.<\/li>\n
      5. Open a support ticket so we can check the server logs.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Summary<\/h2>\n
          \n
        • Do not publish email addresses unless you need to.<\/li>\n
        • Avoid obvious mailbox names where possible.<\/li>\n
        • Use strong, unique passwords.<\/li>\n
        • Use SSL\/TLS mail settings.<\/li>\n
        • Keep devices secure and updated.<\/li>\n
        • Contact us quickly if you suspect a mailbox has been compromised.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Email accounts are accessible from the internet, so it is important to protect them properly. The advice below will help reduce spam, password attacks,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"template":"","kb_category":[7],"class_list":["post-1371","kb_article","type-kb_article","status-publish","hentry","kb_category-email"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.4uhosting.co.uk\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kb_article\/1371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.4uhosting.co.uk\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kb_article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.4uhosting.co.uk\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/kb_article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.4uhosting.co.uk\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.4uhosting.co.uk\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kb_article\/1371\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2581,"href":"https:\/\/www.4uhosting.co.uk\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kb_article\/1371\/revisions\/2581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.4uhosting.co.uk\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"kb_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.4uhosting.co.uk\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kb_category?post=1371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}