22 Apr 2010

Email security 'should be a priority'

Businesses have been advised to ensure their employees are aware of the need for strict email security protocols.

Con Mallon, product marketing director for Norton products at Symantec, said that people all too often leave their emails unguarded with easy to guess passwords and lax protection.

This, in turn, can put data security for both the individual and the company in jeopardy, as criminals can easily infiltrate these applications and steal a person's identity.

He commented: "Instead of using your email account as a receptacle to hold your information, you should have a dedicated computer with a password."

Mr Mallon added that people should therefore remove all personal information from email accounts that could be easily infiltrated.

According to Google, spam email volume in the first quarter of the year was six per cent higher than in quarter one of 2009.