In the final months before the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) becomes law, email mis-sends again top the list as the number one cause of data breaches. The latest report from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) should be a warning to any business that hasn’t yet implemented a solution to stop emails being sent to the wrong person. The visual guide to the Q4 (2017-18) report below looks at what was reported to the ICO and which industries suffered the most breaches, as well as the most effective ways of keeping data secure.
Protect against the number one cause of data breaches
GDPR requires data holders to do everything in their power to protect the personal data of European citizens from being leaked or exposed. Even accidental leaks are viewed as the data holder not doing enough to keep personal information safe. Because of this, unintentional data breaches – like sending an email to the wrong person, or not redacting a person’s bank account number – has penalties just as if the business did not use passwords and security systems to protect against hackers. Therefore, it is essential you have the necessary safeguards in place.
Adding checks to your email sending process doesn’t have to mean it gets slower or less efficient. Taking a few moments to confirm that a) the email is going to the right person and b) it contains only the information you intend it to, can keep data secure and organizations compliant with laws and regulations whilst avoiding reputational damages or costly mandatory breach notifications.
This advice is taken from ‘Reviewing your data protection strategy in 2018’, a free industry guide which looks at the tough new data protection laws around the world. Download it for free today.