Email forwarding is a common practice in many organizations, allowing employees to easily share information with colleagues or access work-related emails on personal devices. However, this seemingly harmless feature can pose significant risks to data security and compliance if not properly monitored and controlled.
One of the main risks associated with email forwarding is the accidental exposure of sensitive information. Employees may forward emails containing confidential data to personal email accounts for convenience, inadvertently including unintended recipients in a forwarded message. Once these emails leave the secure environment of the organization’s email system, they become more susceptible to interception, loss, or unauthorized access, potentially leading to data leaks and compliance breaches.
Another major risk of email forwarding is data exfiltration, where cybercriminals exploit compromised email accounts to set up automatic forwarding rules to external accounts under their control. This allows attackers to siphon off sensitive information undetected, resulting in significant data breaches and compromising the organization’s security.
To mitigate these risks, organizations need to implement robust monitoring and control mechanisms. Advanced email security solutions can detect and block unauthorized forwarding attempts, monitoring email traffic for unusual patterns that may indicate threats. By enforcing strict access controls and permissions for email accounts, limiting who can create forwarding rules and which domains emails can be forwarded to, organizations can reduce the risk of accidental or malicious forwarding.
Educating employees about the dangers of inadvertent email forwarding is also crucial to strengthening email security. Regular training sessions can raise awareness about the risks of forwarding sensitive information and the importance of safeguarding data. Employees should be encouraged to double-check recipients before forwarding emails, avoid using personal email accounts for work communications, and recognize signs of a compromised email account to quickly respond to potential threats.
Clear policies governing email forwarding practices are essential to establishing a secure email environment. These policies should outline acceptable use cases for forwarding emails, specify steps to secure forwarded emails, and prohibit the forwarding of certain types of sensitive information without proper encryption. Data loss prevention (DLP) technologies can further enforce these policies by detecting and blocking unauthorized forwarding of sensitive data, ensuring compliance with security standards.
By understanding the risks associated with email forwarding and implementing strategies to monitor, educate, and enforce policies, organizations can protect themselves from data security risks and compliance breaches. Proofpoint offers solutions to help organizations tackle the risk of email forwarding, ensuring a secure and compliant email environment. Visit their website for more information on their threat defense products.