Many boards still communicate sensitive internal governance messages through insecure communication channels. Diligent Corporation released a report that found 56 percent of board members use their personal email accounts for board communications. Even senior executives and governance professionals also do this. This is a major risk that must be addressed.
It’s important to get board members on board with the necessity of secure communications. This means educating them on the reasons why their current practices make them vulnerable to data breaches and helping them understand the costs of those breaches in terms of lost operational time, cost of defending against a cyberattack, and concern over compliance violations.
Cyber criminals are attracted to boards due to the fact that they have access to sensitive information that is important to them. Hackers typically target high-profile individuals like board directors and C-level executives due to their access to sensitive information that is of significance to them. They are therefore prime targets for ransomware, in which criminals threaten to release sensitive data until they are paid.
To avoid this from happening, it’s essential that the board think about adopting the governance platform which replaces emails and text messaging with a secure system of record that uses encrypted data delivery and a purpose-built mobile app. This will eliminate the need to share privileged or insider information in unsecure email accounts or document systems that are managed by the organization’s IT teams and provides an independent platform that will enable boards to continue to lead during times of crisis.