Mistakes happen, especially when we're working under pressure and to tight deadlines. But while a typo in a personal email is a bit embarrassing, in a business context it can have huge consequences.
But how much can an email error cost your business?
If a single error leads to a data breach, it can lead to heavy fines, loss of customer trust, and long-lasting reputational damage — over and above the direct cost of data falling into the wrong hands.
Sending sensitive information to the wrong recipient is the most common type of data security incident, according to the ICO. This occurs when an employee accidentally inputs the wrong email address or clicks on the wrong name in their email client.
The cost of sensitive data landing in the wrong inbox
One of the worst aspects of this kind of email error is its inherent uncertainty. Unless you have security tools in place that show whether an email has been opened and its attachments accessed, there’s no way of knowing the true extent of the data breach. Even if the email is deleted immediately without being opened, your business will need to assume the worst and follow the appropriate reporting procedures. Anything less, and you’re risking non-compliance.
While all businesses are at risk of making this error, it is especially common in the healthcare sector. From April 2019 to March 2021, there were 866 instances where the NHS accidentally sent personal patient data to the wrong person through email or physical mail. This is not only a violation of privacy, it has cost the NHS hundreds of thousands of pounds in fines. A high-profile case in 2016 saw the NHS pay a £180,000 fine for accidentally exposing the HIV status of 700 patients in an email sent in error.
How to prevent data leaks in your business
The best way to mitigate the damage of employees sending an email to the wrong person is to have the right email security tool in place. Zivver Secure Email features advanced email recall functionality that restricts access to a sent email with the click of a button, and that clearly shows whether the message has been accessed. And because this email recall feature integrates seamlessly with Gmail and Outlook, employees can easily fix their errors without interrupting their usual workflow.
Another effective way that our email security solution prevents this type of human error is by automatically assessing the confidentiality of email content as its being written. It can then detect if you’ve sent that type of information to your chosen recipients before. If not, you’ll be prompted to confirm that you’ve selected the right contacts.
Learn more about how Zivver Secure Email can reduce data leaks at your organization, by empowering employees to work securely with a smart, effortless security solution. You can also download our Freedom to Focus report for a detailed look at how email security has affected the modern workplace.
