70% of Brits Don’t Think Email as a Threat to Computer Security

Research from Mailjet reveals over two thirds of us did not know that simply opening an email could expose a computer to cyber-attack

New research released today from email provider, Mailjet, has revealed 7 in 10 if of us do not see emails as a threat to computer security, suggesting Brits are still misunderstanding the fundamentals of computer safety.

The research found that over two thirds (69%) of us did not know simply opening an email could expose a computer to cyber-attack. What’s more, almost half of us (49%) admitted to opening an email at work that was personal or non-work related.

Risky business

When it comes to email content, it seems many Brits abandon their basic understanding of email safety when it comes to risky or popular culture. Almost 2 in 10 (18%) of us would open an email with a swear word in the subject line, whilst 1 in 10 (10%) of us have admitted to opening an email that explicitly mentions containing nudity – suggesting many of us are not put off by adult content. Indeed, almost 2 in 10 (19%) of us admitted to knowingly opening an email that contains images of a beautiful woman or man.

The research also revealed our preference for celebrity culture – perhaps unsurprisingly, more of us admitted to risking professionalism and opening an email containing the subject line “Kim Kardashian as you’ve never seen her before!”, as opposed to our latest Royal, Kate Middleton. Whilst only 4% of us said we would download email attachments of the British future Queen, over 5% of us admitted to opening emails with Kim Kardashian content, despite being in the workplace.

Amir Jirbandey, Inbound Marketing Lead at Mailjet comments “It may sound simple, but the general lack of education surrounding emails is one of the biggest threats to cyber security. The Sony attack last year emphasised just how dangerous email hacking can be and highlighted to organisations that more advanced and specific attacks are likely going to be used to target weaknesses in IT infrastructure. The fact that almost 70% of us do not see emails as a threat to computer security is staggering, and what this research has emphasised is the need for both consumers and businesses to sit up and understand the need to prioritise basic email safety”.

[su_box title=”About Mailjet” style=”noise” box_color=”#336588″]Mailjet is a global email service provider, offering businesses an intelligent all-in-one solution for marketing and transactional emails. Serving over 32,000 customers, the company’s sophisticated analytics tools and simple APIs give businesses the best understanding of how to maximise the benefits to each individual contact of every email sent. Founded in France, Mailjet achieves exceptionally high deliverability rates for its global customer base through a combined emphasis on achieving the email sender’s goals and safeguarding brand reputation over time. As part of its commitment to reducing spam globally, The Mailjet Flight Academy was launched in 2014 to provide marketers with free education on how to improve their email strategy.[/su_box]