News
Speaking of sensitive emails ... safeguard them from hackers
March 13, 2015
by Dave Ryan
Has a colleague ever asked you "Do you think it is okay to send sensitive information through email?"
Hopefully, your response was a firm "No, never send sensitive data via email!" Email messages generally hit a number of servers and routers before reaching their final destination, and can be intercepted at any stage.
When we first heard that retail giant Target had a security breach in January, 2014, it brought to light how insecure our private information is in today's cyber-world.
Since the Target breach affecting more than 40 million credit and debit card holders was announced, Neiman Marcus reported 350,000 credit cards were breached, retailer Michael's had 2.6 million customers affected, and Yahoo's email service was hacked, affecting 273 million users.
The list of companies being hacked goes on and on, and yet nothing seems to stop these cyber intrusions. The sheer number of breaches on major retailers - those that we would assume to have adequate firewalls to prevent such cyber attacks - does not bode well for the small business owner.
We all share information on the internet, on a daily basis, and prior to the Target data breach, we felt fairly secure that our data (including emails) were being transmitted safely.
Most companies keep sensitive personal information on file, i.e. names, Social Security numbers, credit card information, etc. that identifies customers and/or employees.
Companies use this data to meet payroll, fill orders, and perform normal business functions. If this sensitive data should fall into the wrong hands, it can lead to fraud, identity theft, and even a loss of trust with your loyal customers.
Safeguarding personal information is just plain good business, so train your employees, keep your sensitive data locked, and create a plan to respond to security incidents. For additional resources, please visit "on guard online" at www.onguardonline.gov, and be safe, rather than sorry.
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