A company was recently attacked by ransomware. The IT department has remediated the threat and determined that the attack method used was email. Which of the following the most effective way to preven

Spam filtering helps block unwanted emails but may not catch sophisticated phishing or targeted spear-phishing attempts that bypass technical filters.

Malware prevention software is essential for detecting and blocking malware execution, but it's a reactive measure that comes into play after a user has interacted with a malicious email, rather than preventing the initial interaction.

While technical controls like spam filtering and malware prevention software are crucial, email-borne ransomware often relies on social engineering to trick users into clicking malicious links or opening infected attachments. End-user education provides individuals with the knowledge and skills to identify phishing attempts, suspicious emails, and malicious content, acting as a critical human firewall and making them the first line of defense against future email-based attacks.

Stateful firewall inspection inspects network packets to maintain connection states and enforce rules, but it primarily protects the network perimeter and is less effective at preventing internal users from falling victim to email-based social engineering.