What is email (electronic mail)?

Message filtering. Email enables users to filter and categorize their messages. This can prevent the visibility of unwanted emails, such as spam and junk mail, while also making it easier to find specific messages when they're needed.

Message storage and retrieval. Email exchanges can be saved and searched for easy retrieval. This enables users to keep important conversations, confirmations or instructions in their records and quickly retrieve them if necessary.

Seven advantages of using email
Examples of email attacks
Email is the most common vector for cyber attacks. Methods include spamming, phishing, spoofing, spear-phishing, business email compromise and ransomware. According to a list of cybersecurity threats compiled by TechJury, about 91% of cyber attacks launch with a phishing email.

T he following are some common methods of using email to conduct cyber attacks:

• 
  Spamming. Email spam, also known as junk email, is unsolicited bulk messages sent through email. The use of spam has been growing in popularity since the early 1990s and is a problem faced by most email users. Recipients of spam often have had their email addresses obtained by spambots, which are automated programs that crawl the internet looking for email addresses. Spammers use spambots to create email distribution lists. A spammer typically sends an email to millions of email addresses, with the expectation that only a small number will respond or interact with the message.
  
• 
  Phishing. This is a form of fraud in which an attacker masquerades as a reputable entity or person in email or other communication channels. The attacker uses phishing emails to distribute malicious links or attachments that can perform a variety of functions, including extracting login credentials or account information from victims.
  
• 
  Spoofing. Email spoofing is the forgery of an email header so that the message appears to have originated from someone or somewhere other than the actual source. Email spoofing is a popular tactic used in phishing and spam campaigns because people are more likely to open an email when they think it has been sent by a legitimate or familiar source. The goal of email spoofing is to get recipients to open, and possibly even respond to, a solicitation.
  
• 
  Spear phishing. Spear-phishing attacks target a specific organization or individual, seeking unauthorized access to sensitive information. Spear-phishing attempts aren't typically initiated by random hackers but are more likely to be conducted by perpetrators out for financial gain, trade secrets or military information.
  
•