Barracuda, a leading cybersecurity company, has released new research on email security breaches that every business should know about. Email isn’t just the lifeblood of business communication – it’s the number one attack vector for cybercriminals. For small businesses, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
According to Barracuda’s Email Security Breach Report 2025, based on independent third-party research:
- 78% of organizations experienced an email security breach in the past 12 months
- 71% of those breached were also hit with ransomware
The consequences are severe and far reaching. Breaches cripple business operations, damage brand reputation, and expose sensitive, business-critical data. Productivity plummets as teams scramble to recover, while costs mount — from remediation efforts to ransom payments. Lost opportunities and departing loyal customers compound the damage, creating long-term financial and reputational harm.
The evolving threat landscape
Email attacks are evolving into highly sophisticated, multi-layered threats. Cybercriminals now combine tactics like targeted phishing, business email compromise, account takeover, brand and domain impersonation, conversation hijacking, and malware to maximize damage. Just one phishing email can ignite a cascading breach – leading to account compromise, data theft, and ransomware attacks.
The financial impact is staggering. The average cost to remediate an email breach is $217,068. For small businesses, the burden is even heavier:
- Companies with 50 to 100 employees pay an average $1,946 per employee
- Larger organizations (1,000-2,000 employees) average $243 per employee
Why cyberattacks are escalating — and why businesses struggle to keep up
Rapid, effective response is no longer optional – it’s imperative. Yet mounting challenges make it harder than ever. Employees often fail to report suspicious emails, skilled security talent is scarce, and phishing schemes look alarmingly authentic. Advanced evasion techniques, limited automation, and overreliance on outdated tools leave organizations dangerously exposed.
How to protect your business
A strong email security strategy combines advanced technology, automation, and user education. Barracuda recommends:
- Training employees to recognize phishing and social engineering
- Making it easy to report suspicious emails
- Enforcing multifactor authentication
- Limiting access to sensitive systems and data
- Deploying an AI-powered email security solution
- Automating incident response to remove malicious emails quickly
- Implementing industry-standard email authentication protocols
- Using threat-intelligence feeds to stay ahead of emerging threats
- Conducting regular security audits
- Understanding and addressing regulatory demands
Barracuda Email Protection: Complete security that’s easy to buy, deploy and use
Barracuda makes email security easy and effective for small businesses. With Barracuda Email Protection, you get advanced AI-powered tools that stop threats before and after they reach your inboxes — all in one platform, with no need to juggle multiple tools or worry about hidden costs.
As part of the BarracudaONE AI-powered cybersecurity platform, managing Barracuda Email Protection is simple with a single dashboard. See all potential threats in one place, take quick action when needed, and review clear reports that show what’s blocked and why. With Barracuda, you get threat prevention, automated incident response, and easy-to-understand insights to make informed decisions and protect your business with confidence.
Click here to learn more about email security for small businesses
