We’d like to take a moment to recognize the rather difficult time the world is going through. We hope that each and every one of you is keeping safe throughout this pandemic and practicing social distancing.
This time has been particularly challenging for communities as a whole. If you can, please donate to the food bank nearest to you.
Over the last three newsletters, I’ve explained the Mula platform, MulaMail, and recent challenges to your privacy.
In this letter, I will be focusing on the structural deficiencies behind your standard email service.
For most of us, email is the most frequently used method of communication, especially for work.
Our email address is used as our ID for almost every single digital service we use and pervades every piece of technology we own, from tablets to computers to phones.
While email serves as one of our go-to forms of communication, especially for essential files, it was never designed with privacy or security in mind.
While leaps have been made to provide a better service, there are still clear structural problems that put you and your data at risk.
Today, there are four primary places where most people’s emails can be compromised.
On your device, on your recipient’s device, on the server, and on the network.
The devices themselves are quite simple to explain. Most email services do not encrypt the emails stored on your device.
This means that should malware infect either your or your recipient’s phone, the content stored can easily be read. If you’ve sent important information, perhaps including your private personal, health, or banking data, it is right there ready to be taken.
Chaotic times create opportunities for nefarious groups to capitalize on your state of mine to get you to click on emails you usually would ignore. For instance, they might send you an official-looking email giving you a link that says it’s the latest quarantine information. However, when you click on the link, it downloads malware into your system allowing them to read your email.
Phishing attacks are another problem. In Canada, for example, health officials and the police have warned about emails being sent stating the recipient has been infected with the coronavirus and then asking for credit card information.
Of course, its not just money these groups are after. The federal government has also warned its staff about targetted emails that aim to steal the credentials of public servants who have access to high-level information.
While device problems are severe, malicious hackers can also gain access to the servers that your email provider or ISP uses to store your email. For example, if someone hacks or cracks your password, they could gain full access to your stored emails or use your account to send out malware or phishing attacks.
The last vulnerability is the network. Networks include your connection to your email provider, the network connections between the recipient and the email provider, and finally, the network connection enabling email access for your recipient. This web of connections creates an intricate layer of potential flaws. By attacking the weakest point in the network, your data becomes a buffet.
This is where a product like the Mula platform shines.
We are dedicated to embedding data privacy into the products that you already use in your daily life. Email sent between Mula users and using the MulaMail system is encrypted and the data remains secure.
This is exactly why you should encourage your loved ones and business correspondents to sign up for a MulaMail account.
Our current flagship product MulaMail is currently in beta testing and will be released for consumers soon.
We will never mine your emails, and you will be the only person with access and knowledge of your private encryption key.
Register your username today by clicking here, and be one of the first users of MulaMail.