Email protection and extended detection and response (XDR) are rapidly becoming a foundational pairing for modern cybersecurity, empowering organizations to proactively counter sophisticated threats, maximize their security ROI and streamline operations in a complex digital landscape. As cybercriminals embrace advanced tools – most notably artificial intelligence (AI)-driven attacks – leaders must adopt integrated strategies that address both technical and human vulnerabilities.
The state of cybersecurity: Complexity, gaps and urgency
The latest World Economic Forum Global Cybersecurity Outlook underscores a profound shift: Cyberspace, once stable, is now fragmented by geopolitical tensions, sprawling supply chains, emerging technologies, and a widening skills gap. Disparities are stark – 35 percent of small organizations now rate their cyber resilience as inadequate (seven times higher than in 2022), while large organizations are making headway. In fact, 71 percent of cybersecurity leaders believe that small businesses have reached a tipping point, rendering them unable to adequately secure themselves without adopting new approaches.
Geopolitical turmoil, supply chain complexity and aggressive cyber adversaries have created an environment where 72 percent of organizations report increased cyber risks, with ransomware and social engineering topping the list of organizational concerns. Almost half (47 percent) cite adversarial advances powered by generative AI as their primary worry, fueling an unprecedented surge in phishing, vishing and deepfake-enabled scams.
Why email is ground zero for cyberattacks
Phishing attacks, business email compromise (BEC), credential harvesting, and ransomware attempts target corporate email every day. Even the most advanced security tools fall short of complete protection when human factors come into play.
For example, there is potential for accidental oversight due to heavy workloads, fatigue, lack of expertise, or human error. IT administrators are often responsible for managing and monitoring numerous tasks simultaneously, and sometimes all it takes is a missed security alert for malicious actors to gain unauthorized access to the company’s network.
One recent case study highlights the problem: Attackers used a spoofed Microsoft 365 login page to obtain credentials, set up rules to hide future alerts, and launch outbound phishing campaigns. The company’s email protection tools detected an unusual account login originating from an unfamiliar device and location associated with the user and promptly issued a security alert to the company’s IT administrator. Unfortunately, the overburdened IT administrator overlooked the warning.
The scale and sophistication have increased.. As of early 2024, Microsoft reported over 400 million paid commercial Office 365 seats, up from 382 million in 2023. Moreover, according to the Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2024, 7,000 password attack attempts per second were blocked between July 2023 and June 2024. No organization, regardless of size, is immune to cyber threats.
XDR’s critical role: Response, resilience, remediation
While email protection is critical prevention and detection alone are no longer sufficient. Organizations must correlate all threat variations across their security stack and accelerate response times.
Furthermore, cyberattacks have become increasingly sophisticated, now integrating social engineering techniques with AI. This evolving landscape necessitates a multilayered defense strategy. And, in instances where attacks occur at 2 a.m., who will be available to respond? XDR platforms extend visibility, correlation, and automated response across email, network, endpoint, and cloud environments, supported by 24/7 security operations expertise.
When coupled with robust email security, XDR neutralizes incidents rapidly rather than days later – containment happens immediately, mitigating downstream phishing campaigns and lateral movement.
Managed XDR paired with email protection delivers:
- Automated detection of anomalous behavior or account compromise – no matter where and when it occurs.
- Rapid suspension or isolation of suspicious accounts prevents attackers from escalating their privileges.
- Streamlined, centralized alerting to minimize the risk of human error or fatigue.
- Enhanced investigation, forensics and remediation that frees IT teams to focus on strategic risks.
Maximizing ROI and operational efficiency
Every security investment must deliver measurable value for organizations facing budget constraints, skills shortages and regulatory pressures. The combination of email security and XDR ensures that no incident is overlooked, and that expensive breaches (which, as recent history shows, can result in millions lost and reputational damage) are stopped before they escalate.
Key advantages include:
- Lower total cost of ownership through automation, proactive threat hunting and rapid response.
- Faster in mean time to detect (MTTD) and mean time to respond (MTTR) rates, reducing downtime and financial impact.
- Meet regulatory and cyber insurance requirements through improved compliance, audit preparedness, and reporting capabilities.
Essential steps to strengthen email security and XDR synergy
Drawing on industry best practices validated in recent attacks, managed service providers (MSPs) and their customers should:
- Adopt multilayered email security: Employ a defense-in-depth approach, supplementing gateways with AI-powered detection that can parse threats in documents, links and images beyond known malicious patterns.
- Protect access with strong authentication and zero trust: Multifactor authentication (MFA) is a must, but continuous identity verification further limits lateral movement by adversaries.
- Automate detection and incident response: Responsive alerting and threat containment powered by XDR, ideally with 24/7 security operations center (SOC) support, close the critical gap between detection and action.
- Educate continually: A well-trained workforce remains the most vital line of defense against evolving phishing tactics and social engineering scams.
- Back up and secure data: Actively isolate critical business data, back it up regularly, and restore operations swiftly when needed.
AI: The double-edged sword reshaping security
While 66 percent of organizations expect AI to have the greatest impact on security this year, only 37 percent report having processes in place to assess the security of AI tools before deployment – a paradox that increases the risk of exploitation. The evolution of AI-enabled cybercrime, from deepfake impersonations to automated spear-phishing, further amplifies the need for holistic, adaptive defenses.
Conclusion: Partnering for resilience
In the era of AI-enabled threats and operational complexity, pairing robust email protection with XDR delivers a force multiplier effect: Stronger cyber resilience, reduced risk and optimized security operations for organizations of all sizes. This approach is not just forward-thinking – it is increasingly essential for MSPs and their customers navigating the fast-changing cyber landscape.
By embracing integrated, automated solutions, organizations will not only keep pace with adversaries – they’ll reclaim the initiative in safeguarding their operations, data, and people.
This article was originally published at Managed Services Journal.
Photo: Pepe_jo / Shutterstock
This post originally appeared on Smarter MSP.