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“Email Forwarding: The Invisible Data Leak”

December 30, 2025

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Users Forward Work Email to Personal Accounts

To “stay on top of things,” employees set up automatic or manual forwards. Sensitive attachments, credentials, and internal threads leave the secured environment daily — unnoticed.

Mail Rules Are Abused by Attackers Post-Phish

Once attackers compromise an inbox, they create hidden rules that forward messages to external accounts. Even after a password reset, exfiltration continues silently.

Shared Mailboxes Are Forwarded Without Oversight

Generic accounts like billing@ or hr@ often have complex, outdated forwarding logic. No one audits them. Attackers target these for persistent, unmonitored access.

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External Forwarding Is Often Allowed by Default

Many organizations don’t restrict outbound mail rules. Users with good intentions — or compromised accounts — create dangerous channels with one setting.

Email Logs Rarely Show Forwarding Behavior Clearly

Security teams may monitor login and sending activity, but forwarding rules are buried deep. Unless specifically audited, they fly under the radar.

Forwarded Data Leaves Compliance Scope

Once emails hit Gmail, Hotmail, or personal Apple IDs, the data is out of control. No encryption, no DLP, no retention policy. Compliance gaps become legal risks.

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