Secure Email and Accidental Data Leakage

Data breaches are still a threat for all organisations and with the advent of GDPR in the EU, the implications if one occurs go beyond the reputational into the potentially significant financial area. Most of the focus on preventing data breaches is on thwarting attacks from outside, but there is potential for data leakage from within organisations. This can happen accidentally due to human error, or in some cases, staff can purposely send sensitive information to external recipients for malicious reasons.

The Data Tells the Story

Research published by Branch Level Index, a well-respected data breach tracking organisation, shows that 86% of data loss and leakage incidents are due to accidental internal mistakes. Many people find this statistic surprising, which may be due to the focus on external protections provided by firewalls, endpoint security, malware protection, anti-virus protection and strong password policies. Of course, the fact that such a large proportion of data loss incidents originate internally is also a testament to how good the external protections have become. Organisations now need to focus on this 86% figure and take measures to reduce it.

Egress Software Technologies and Renaissance have just the tools and expertise you need to put suitable protections in place. One of the main ways that accidental data leakage occurs is via incorrectly addressed emails. Research by Egress shows that more than a third of email users admit to sending an email to the wrong person, and just under half confirmed that they had received business emails sent to them by mistake. The main drivers for sending to the wrong recipients were identified as email client address autofill and work time pressure causing rushed email composing. Who really checks all the names in the To: and CC: fields before hitting send?

Dealing with the Data Leakage Issue

Egress provides solutions that can significantly reduce the potential for accidental data leakage from within an organisation via email or file sharing. They use a multi-faceted approach that includes:

• Encryption - ensuring all data files and emails are encrypted prevents those not authorised to read the information from doing so if sent to them in error.
• Email address use monitoring - using email history, metadata, and machine learning, Egress can build up a picture of typical email habits for users and then use this to check for unusual recipients or attachments on outgoing email and highlight them before sending.
• Data Classification - classify data at various levels of sensitivity and use this within Microsoft Office and Outlook to control what can be sent to whom.
• Document Tracking - track access to data to see who has edited it and who it has been shared with.
• Analytics and Reporting - get real-time insights into data access and identify potential leakage points so they can be addressed.

Join Us to Learn More

The above synopsis is just a high-level snapshot of the Egress solutions. Renaissance and Egress Software Technologies would be delighted if you could join us in the Spencer Hotel on the morning of the 23rd of May for a breakfast seminar, where we will provide more information on the Egress solutions and answer any questions you might have.