T 2.55 Uncontrolled use of electronic mail

Uncontrolled use of electronic messages includes the threat that unwarranted persons can get access to sensitive information or that they may not arrive at the intended recipient on time.

Examples:

• An incorrect address may be the reason for an electronic message being sent to an unauthorised recipient

If distribution lists are not maintained in regular terms electronic mail may be sent to certain recipients, who should have been excluded from the distribution list.

• An incorrect sending mode can cause problems during the transmission or receiving of messages. If a file had not been converted into 7-bit ASCII format by uuencode, it might be converted incorrectly and thus become unreadable for the recipient During transmission the relaying of messages may be erased from one of the participating IT systems if the file set is too large

• Missing or insufficient requirements documents at the recipient's end may cause a delay in the processing of a received electronic message.

• Lack of, or insufficient allocation of responsibilities by the responsible party sending the message, might cause a delay in the assured delivery of data on schedule.