Spot risky mail practices before they spread wide. Balance user behavior with security controls smartly. See your score, then apply fixes in priority order.
| Scenario | External % | Attachments % | Link clicks % | MFA | DLP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales team baseline | 45 | 22 | 16 | Yes | Yes |
| Finance with stricter controls | 20 | 10 | 6 | Yes | Yes |
| High-risk unmanaged mailbox | 60 | 28 | 24 | No | No |
Use these examples to sanity-check your inputs and expected score direction.
The calculator converts each input into a risk factor between 0 and 1, where 0 is best and 1 is worst. Each factor is multiplied by a weight.
Percent-based fields are capped for realism (for example, attachments and clicks are normalized against 30%). Control settings reduce factors (for example, MFA enabled lowers the factor).
Email misuse risk rises when more messages leave the organization, more links are clicked, and more attachments are exchanged. The calculator weights external recipients and risky clicks heavily because they correlate with phishing success and data leakage pathways. Volume is included as a multiplier of opportunity, not as a direct indicator of intent. Attachment percentage is normalized against a 30% cap, so extreme values do not dominate the score.
Controls lower risk factors by reducing attacker success and limiting misuse outcomes. Enforced sender authentication reduces spoofing exposure, while multi-factor authentication cuts account takeover likelihood. Disabling external forwarding limits stealthy exfiltration via mail rules. DLP and anomaly detection reduce the window between misuse and detection. Training cadence is treated as a behavioral control that reduces repeated mistakes.
Use the component table to identify where points accumulate. A high external percentage with a moderate click rate indicates partner communication risk, best addressed with destination controls, secure portals, and tighter sharing rules. A high click rate with weak authentication suggests phishing exposure, where training, link protection, and DMARC enforcement deliver fast gains. If sensitive data usage is medium or high, prioritize labeling, encryption, and outbound approvals to reduce regulatory impact.
Treat inputs as operational metrics you can measure monthly. External percentage can come from mail logs, click rate from simulations or proxy telemetry, and incident count from ticketing. Recalculate after control changes to show movement in score and severity. Exported CSV or PDF outputs support audit trails and executive reporting. Use severity bands as escalation triggers: low for routine monitoring, moderate for sprint remediation, high for urgent control uplift, and critical for incident response.
Focus first on controls that reduce multiple components. MFA and stronger authentication improve resilience across mail users. Next, tighten forwarding, attachment handling, and sensitive-data labeling to cut exfiltration channels. Sustain improvements with training, monitoring alerts, and post-incident reviews that convert events into durable control upgrades. Pair the score with a change log so each improvement has an owner and measurable reduction over time.
It is a weighted sum of normalized risk factors. Higher scores mean greater likelihood or impact of email misuse, based on exposure, user behavior, and control coverage.
They are common pathways for phishing, impersonation, and data leakage. High external traffic expands the audience, and risky clicks increase the chance of credential theft.
Use phishing simulation results, secure web gateway reports, or link-protection telemetry. If you only have simulation data, use the most recent quarter as a baseline.
Yes. A single high-impact mailbox, an unreported incident, or a new threat campaign can raise risk quickly. Use the score with alerting, audits, and incident reviews.
Enabling MFA, enforcing DMARC with aligned SPF/DKIM, restricting external forwarding, and improving training cadence typically lower multiple components at once.
Monthly works well for trend visibility, while quarterly is acceptable for smaller teams. Recalculate after major control rollouts or any email-related incident.
Important Note: All the Calculators listed in this site are for educational purpose only and we do not guarentee the accuracy of results. Please do consult with other sources as well.