Let's Get IT Together

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Don't Post in Email What You Don't Want Others to See

Email and text messaging have become the most popular modes of communication, soon to surpass the use of voice on the phone.  As a result, many people take for granted that the messages and emails are rarely secure and at any given time, information hijacking can take place.  A recent example of what can happen is illustrated in Government Computer News.

http://gcn.com/articles/2010/11/08/gsa-data-breach.aspx?s=gcndaily_091110

The lesson learned is that email and text message content should NEVER include private, personal or confidential information.  While the odds that your message will be prey to hackers and information hijackers may be remote, the risk of it happening is increasing day to day.  Information bandits are always looking at new ways to gain access to vulnerable information systems and they know that people use email and messaging frequently without regard to information compromise.

The lessons here are simple:

• Never include personal / confidential information
• Never respond to an email from someone that you don't know
• Never open an attachment from a sender if you aren't expecting from a trusted source
• Avoid using "reply all" to avoid including people in a conversation that should remain "one to one"
• Look over your emails and texts BEFORE you hit the SEND button.

Use emails and text messages wisely!

CATEGORIES: Email , Security
POSTED AT: 9:55:00 AM |