UK companies are vulnerable to confidential information leaking out through careless email use, a survey has revealed.
Nearly 40% of workers surveyed said they had received confidential information through emails that were not intended for them, revealed the survey from email filtering firm SurfControl.
Of this number, 26% said the email had been sent to them by an external source.
A further 15% of respondents admitted to sending confidential information by mistake to the wrong person or organisation, with 17% of those unable to retrieve the data.
The survey also revealed that email was an extremely popular way of transmitting confidential information. SurfControl said 91% of respondents said they regularly sent or received confidential customer or corporate information in this way.
SurfControl marketing director Martino Corbelli, said: “The percentage of people who send and receive confidential information in error is higher than we could have anticipated but underlines the widespread use of e-mail as a communication tool for many business applications.
“Unfortunately, some of those applications include sensitive information which would greatly benefit from having additional protection methods to ensure leakage never occurs, the effects of which can be devastating.”
Corbelli continued: “Clearly, confidential data loss is a daily threat to UK business and employers could be at risk unless they have procedure and policies in place combined with technology to protect against this threat.”
Corbelli said Derek Wyatt MP, chairman of the All Party Internet Group, had made it clear that he wants to make company directors accountable for internet and email security breaches.
Corbelli said: “This information and the fact that it is the employer who is at the greatest risk means that UK business bosses should take this issue with grave concern.
“It is advised that they do all in their power to ensure appropriate steps are taken to minimise any legal exposure in addition to the damage that can be done to the organisation at large.”
Copies of a White Paper outlining the issues protecting online data is available from www.surfcontrol.com/go/confinfo
