Many boards continue to send sensitive internal governance communications via unsecure channels for communication. Diligent Corporation released a report that found that 56 percent board members use their personal emails to communicate with the board. Even the top executives and governance professionals also do this. This is a huge risk that needs to be addressed.
It is essential to get board members onboard with the need for secure communication. This means educating them on how their current practices expose them to data breaches and assisting them understand what it costs in terms of lost time, cyberattacks and compliance violations.
Boards must be aware of the fact that they are the most attractive targets for cybercriminals. Hackers typically target high-profile individuals such as board directors or C-level executives because they have access to sensitive information that is of value to them. This makes them a great victim of ransomware attacks, where criminals threaten to release sensitive information unless they are paid a payment.
In order to prevent this from happening, it’s essential to consider implementing an organizational platform for governance that replaces email and text messaging with a more secure system of record that uses encrypted data delivery as well as a specifically designed mobile application. This eliminates the need to share privileged or insider information in unsecure documents or email accounts that are managed by IT my site departments of the company and creates an independent platform that will enable boards to lead in times of crises.