Democratic White House Front Runner Hillary Clinton Faces Backlash After Sensitive Emails Get Disclosed
In an interesting series of events, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton opted to use a controversial “home brew” personal email server provider, and her decision may now be posing quite the problem.
Clinton selected a small IT firm to maintain her private email account, and it appears this may have been a poor choice because it seems some classified information has leaked and now the security of her emails is in question.
Ill Equipped
Why such a small operation would be entrusted to handle the personal email of Hillary Clinton is beyond anyone’s understanding, as it is quite obvious that the firm didn’t have the resources it would require to accommodate such sensitive information, or a client of such magnitude.
It has even been reported that the company was operating out of a small loft apartment, housing its servers in the bathroom closet of all places.
Former employees of the firm were even in disbelief that such an important and large scale client would decide to use the firm.
Security Concerns
It is quickly becoming apparent that the small IT firm may not have been the best choice for such a sensitive job, as a State Department Investigators report has indicated that as many as 60 emails sent from Clinton’s private email containing classified information have already been found on the server.
Due to the small scale of the firm, and it’s concerning home made arrangements, significant questions regarding security and investigation into the suitability of the provider prior to employing their services have arisen.
Clinton said back in March of this year that the server had been wiped clean, but experts say that upwards of 60,000 deleted emails may still in fact be recoverable.
Then and Now
Alarming details of servers in bathroom closets and little to no physical security may have been the case for the Clinton’s IT firm of choice in the beginning, but this is no longer an accurate reflection of the company today. They have recently experienced some growth since being established in 2002 in said loft apartment, and have since expanded into a commercial setting and strengthened their workforce.
Best Practices For Email Security
It is clear that Clinton did not put enough consideration into email security, and neither her nor the inadequate firm she chose to work with took the necessary measures to safeguard such sensitive data or properly protect against potential security threats.
There are many safeguards that can and should be put into place to keep your information safe and secure, including:
- Restrict Removable Media – devices such as thumb drives, external hard drives and things of that nature should be restricted as they facilitate security breaches entering or leaving your network
- Implement Proper Security Solutions – such as firewalls, intrusion detection devices, web-content filtering and anti-virus software to monitor and detect any potential unauthorized access.
- Use Anti-Spam Software – as anti-spam software is necessary to prevent potentially dangerous spam or phishing attacks from making their way into your staff member’s inboxes.
- Keep Sensitive Emails Encrypted – when you’re sending sensitive information via email, make sure that information is encrypted to avoid unauthorized access/interception during transfer.
Contact OffSite IT at (866) 828-6674 or send us an email at info@offsiteIT.com to discover more ways to keep your confidential information safe and secure.
