Sending Sensitive Information Securely Through OneDrive
Overview
To protect personal and financial information and comply with UConn security policies, highly sensitive data must not be sent through email. This includes, but is not limited to, Social Security Numbers (SSNs), credit card numbers, bank account and routing numbers, passwords, and other confidential, financial or identity information. Sensitive data should only be shared when required for an official University purpose and must be transmitted using an approved secure method, such as OneDrive.
A policy tip may appear in Outlook to alert you when potentially sensitive information (such as an SSN or bank account number) is detected while composing an email.
Please Avoid Sending Sensitive Information via Email
As a general rule, do not send highly sensitive information through email. Such information should only be shared when there is a legitimate University business need and must be transmitted using an approved secure method.
Email is not considered a secure way to transmit sensitive information. Even when sent internally within UConn, email messages can be:
Sent to the wrong recipient due to autofill or typing errors
Forwarded beyond the intended recipient
Accessed through compromised or hacked accounts
Stored in multiple locations (such as the sender’s Sent folder, the recipient’s inbox, backups, and archives), increasing the number of places where the data may be exposed
Once an email is sent, it can be difficult or impossible to retrieve or permanently delete all copies.
If sensitive information falls into the wrong hands, it can be used for identity theft, financial fraud, unauthorized transactions, fraudulent tax filings, or opening accounts in someone else’s name. Because this type of data is often used to verify identity or access financial resources, exposure can create significant and long-term risks for the individual affected.
Approved Secure Alternative: OneDrive
If you need to share documents that contain sensitive information, OneDrive is the recommended method.
How to Share Securely Using OneDrive
Save the file containing the sensitive information to OneDrive
Right-click the file and select Share
Choose Specific people (do not use “Anyone with the link”)
Enter the recipient’s email address
Set permissions to View only, unless edit access is required
Send the sharing invitation