The Secret Weapon for Email Security: Plus Email Addressing

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Introduction

In today’s digital age, your inbox is under constant attack. From spam to phishing attempts, cybercriminals are relentless in their efforts to gain access to your personal and business information. But what if there was a simple, built-in feature in most email services that could help you manage your inbox, track where spam is coming from, and even improve security?

Enter plus email addressing—a little-known trick that can transform the way you manage your email accounts.

What Is Plus Email Addressing?

Plus email addressing is a feature available in most email services, including Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, and ProtonMail. It allows you to modify your email address dynamically without creating new accounts.

Here’s how it works:

• If your email is johnsmith@gmail.com, you can use johnsmith+newsletter@gmail.com when signing up for a website or newsletter.
• The email will still arrive in your inbox, but you’ll know exactly where it came from.

This trick works because most email services ignore anything after the + sign before the @ symbol when delivering messages.

How Plus Email Addressing Can Improve Security

1. Spam & Tracking Control
   • If you start receiving spam at johnsmith+deals@gmail.com, you instantly know which website sold your data.
   • You can then create an email filter or block emails sent to that specific address.
2. Better Inbox Organization
   • Use +shopping, +work, or +socialmedia to automatically sort emails into different folders.
   • Gmail allows filtering based on this, so emails can be labeled or archived automatically.
3. Unique Logins for Each Website
   • Using a unique plus email address for every login helps prevent credential stuffing attacks (where attackers try leaked credentials on multiple sites).
   • If a website suffers a data breach, you’ll know which email variant was exposed.
4. Easy Email Filtering & Automation
   • Set up automatic filters to move, delete, or forward emails based on your plus-tag.
   • Example: Send all emails to johnsmith+work@gmail.com into a "Work" folder.

Potential Drawbacks & Considerations

While plus addressing is a great security tool, here are some limitations:

• Some websites don’t allow plus signs (+) in email addresses, though this is rare.
• It doesn’t truly anonymize your email, as everything still routes to your primary inbox.
• Attackers may try removing the + part in phishing attempts, so be cautious when receiving emails.

How to Start Using Plus Email Addressing Today

1. Pick a consistent naming system for different sign-ups (e.g., +banking, +streaming, +social).
2. Set up email filters to auto-sort incoming messages.
3. Use plus addresses when signing up for new services to monitor data breaches.

Final Thoughts

While plus email addressing isn’t a foolproof security measure, it adds an extra layer of visibility and control over your inbox. When combined with strong passwords and multi-factor authentication (MFA), it becomes a powerful tool in your cybersecurity arsenal.

Want more security tips to protect your business? Contact us today to learn how our Managed Security Services can keep your company safe from cyber threats.

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