Email is among the most used forms of communication, however it’s also the most susceptible to cyberattacks. Hackers are always trying to find ways to break into your email account and steal sensitive information.

The first step is to ensure your passwords are strong and unique. Make sure they’re at minimum 16 characters long and include upper and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols.

A secure email service provider is an alternative. The best ones include anti-spam and anti-phishing features which scan and remove harmful attachments, links, and other content before it gets to your inbox.

You can also encrypt your emails to ensure only you can read them. This is see a great alternative for business email accounts where you don’t want your employees to be able to forward or copy messages. Encrypting messages functions as an electronic lock box that has two keys that are your public key and your private key. If someone is able to intercept a message that is encrypted and reads it, they will see a blurred text.

It’s also recommended to not share your email address publicly on websites and social media. If you must, use an alias to conceal your real email address. Also, make sure you use multi-factor authentication when it comes to important accounts including your email. It’s a good idea to safeguard your account.