FBI email investigation - commentary from Mimecast
October 2016 by Peter Bauer, CEO of email security firm Mimecast
Following the news about the FBI reopening the investigation with Hillary Clinton’s
emails, please see below a couple of comments from Peter Bauer, CEO of email
security firm Mimecast on why email is the biggest security risk and also shadow IT.
Email is the biggest risk
"While most emails do not contain classified government secrets, all email system
contain valuable personal or confidential information.
"For many years organisations have underinvested in email security and it has become
the easiest entry point for cybercriminals. Email was never designed for security in
mind. Today, more than 91% of hacks start with an email.
"You don’t rob a bank with a gun anymore; you rob it with an email. Who needs a
secret agent, when a simple email can be used political espionage?"
Shadow IT
"Hillary’s example is comparable to the shadow IT threat that happens every day in
organisations across America. Employees frustrated by corporate security systems and
protocols, use consumer-grade services to share large files or send work home for
the weekend.
"There are safer alternatives. Instead, organisations need to consider how to make
sharing large files fast and safe for employees by considering managed and
IT-sanctioned tools that allow for effective e-discovery."