Research Highlights Mail Attack Risks

A new study by Pitney Bowes Management Services (PBMS) has highlighted those industry sectors that receive a higher proportion of mail-based security attacks.

A new study by Pitney Bowes Management Services (PBMS) has highlighted those industry sectors that receive a higher proportion of mail-based security attacks.

PBMS said that it analysed a representative sample of the secure mail facilities of organisations across the USA and the UK to establish the sectors that receive most suspicious packages.

Using a year's worth of data on mail throughput and suspicious parcel investigation, an index of vulnerability was constructed amongst key sectors, revealing relative levels of suspicious letter or package receipt.

The resulting index figures showed that government, finance and hi-tech companies stand out as those mainly at risk from attack through the mail.

PBMS described that as a scale leap ahead of any other sector studied as, evidently, organisations within those sectors that do not yet have secure facilities screening their mail need to act fast if they are not to face insupportable levels of risk, added the company.

Richard Thompson, managing director of Pitney Bowes Management Services, said: "For organisations seeking to protect themselves, their employees and their finances, the accumulation of smaller and far less publicised threats actually poses far higher total risk than major acts of terrorism.

These individual threats range across the actions of disgruntled employees, activist groups and straightforward criminality." He continued: "None of the sectors studied, even if their vulnerability score is below average, should be complacent.

The cost of closing a site because of attack - or even threat of attack - can result in huge financial penalties for businesses of every size." Thompson explained that the ease with which a terrorist, a disgruntled customer, an activist group, or a criminal can introduce threats to a company or government organisation in the guise of an envelope or package, means that the post room is a critical point of vulnerability.

At the same time, it can also be made in to a highly controlled environment where mail is screened, threats identified and danger isolated and averted.

And he added: "Organisations must concentrate on addressing the points of potential attack that can be monitored and controlled in practicality.".

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