Keep Your Inbox “Clean”
Cyber security starts small, for example by tidying up your inbox, recommends Adam Marrè from Arctic Wolf.
Many people are familiar with the situation: countless messages and files that have accumulated over months or even years pile up in inboxes and correspondence folders. The confusing flood of emails is not only annoying and a real productivity killer for some, but also a real target for cyber criminals, as these emails contain a wealth of sensitive information. The risk is exacerbated if employees unknowingly or carelessly transfer work emails to private accounts or devices. This increases the attack surface for cybercriminals and creates a dangerous gap in cyber defense that is often overlooked.
Emails contain highly sensitive information
But let’s be honest: it’s understandable that we can’t always clean up our inboxes immediately and consistently during our stressful working day. Using professional and private email inboxes as a data archive is also convenient. Information is bundled together and can be easily searched for and found. However, documents and messages sent by customers or colleagues often contain highly sensitive information. If this information remains unencrypted in the inbox for a long time, it represents a considerable security risk. Think about your personal inbox: Have you forwarded your tax returns or similar confidential data to yourself and is it still sitting in your inbox?
Getting nervous? – Don’t be, because this security risk can easily be averted: The start of the new year is an excellent opportunity to carry out an email audit. It’s not just about clearing your inbox of emails that have already been processed so that you can start 2024 without any old baggage. It’s also a strategic step towards improving your personal and professional cyber security.
Compliance with legal regulations
Important: during this process, please observe your own company’s email retention guidelines to ensure compliance with legal regulations and to delete data that is no longer required securely and in accordance with guidelines. The goal: to start the new year not only with a tidy inbox, but also with a reduced cyber risk profile.
A simple decluttering of emails, is an important step towards more cyber security! With this in mind, let’s use the motivation at the start of the year – for more information security and a clear head in 2024!
is CISO at Arctic Wolf.
