ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center
SOURCE: Switched
24February2011 8:00pmEST
GCIS CYBER-SECURITY UPDATE: While there aren't any hard and fast figures on what the number one cause of e-mail infiltration is, the overarching theme usually points to one extremely weak link: user behavior. Despite the many ways an e-mail account can be hacked, the one common element is that you, the owner, essentially allow it.
Every few years, studies show that the one reason spam is still so prevalent is because it actually 
works -- a percentage of knuckleheads can always be expected to open a spam message, read it, and be tempted by whatever wares or schemes are offered. Of course, many of those e-mails (and sometimes pop-up windows from strangers on IM, Skype and similar apps) are actually phishing attacks that dupe recipients into believing they've been sent a legitimate message from a business or friend. Naive users will then reply with the requested login information.
A fair number of people also think nothing of checking their e-mail on a public computer -- in a library, electronics store or Internet cafe -- and simply neglect to log out. It's a momentary lapse of reason (particularly since we don't recommend checking e-mail on any public computer), and can be the equivalent of walking away from an ATM right after entering your password.
The other gargantuan user misstep is having weak, easily determined passwords, or using the same combination of login e-mail addresses and passwords across different sites. If a hacker breaks into one site, they can quickly try the same logins on all the popular sites -- to potentially devastating effect. But, before you beat yourself up, it's also possible that your login information has been stolen because your PC, or one you've used, has been infected with spyware or some other assorted malware. (read full report)
