{"id":15421,"date":"2026-09-23T18:07:25","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T12:37:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/?p=15421"},"modified":"2026-09-23T18:07:27","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T12:37:27","slug":"received-confidential-email-mistake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/received-confidential-email-mistake\/","title":{"rendered":"Received an Email Meant for Someone Else? Here Is What to Do Next"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If a confidential email lands in your inbox by mistake, do not forward, screenshot, or act on it beyond confirming it was misdirected. Reply to the sender to flag the error, and if the content involves personal data, financial information, or anything sensitive, report it to your security or compliance team rather than deciding on your own that no harm was done.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_88 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #414141;color:#414141\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #414141;color:#414141\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/received-confidential-email-mistake\/#Why_This_Moment_Matters_More_Than_It_Feels_Like_It_Does\" >Why This Moment Matters More Than It Feels Like It Does<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/received-confidential-email-mistake\/#The_Three_Questions_That_Decide_Your_Next_Move\" >The Three Questions That Decide Your Next Move<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/received-confidential-email-mistake\/#Book_a_Free_Demo_Call_with_Our_Expert\" >Book a Free Demo Call with Our Expert<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/received-confidential-email-mistake\/#What_to_Do_When_You_Know_the_Intended_Recipient\" >What to Do When You Know the Intended Recipient<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/received-confidential-email-mistake\/#What_to_Do_When_You_Do_Not_Know_Who_It_Was_For\" >What to Do When You Do Not Know Who It Was For<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/received-confidential-email-mistake\/#When_You_Should_Loop_In_Security_or_Compliance\" >When You Should Loop In Security or Compliance<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/received-confidential-email-mistake\/#The_Ethical_and_Legal_Side_Briefly\" >The Ethical and Legal Side, Briefly<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/received-confidential-email-mistake\/#How_Organizations_Build_This_Into_Their_Reporting_Culture\" >How Organizations Build This Into Their Reporting Culture<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/received-confidential-email-mistake\/#The_Recipient_Half_of_the_Problem\" >The Recipient Half of the Problem<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/received-confidential-email-mistake\/#Frequently_Asked_Questions\" >Frequently Asked Questions<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/received-confidential-email-mistake\/#Is_it_illegal_to_read_an_email_that_was_not_meant_for_me\" >Is it illegal to read an email that was not meant for me?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/received-confidential-email-mistake\/#Should_I_tell_my_boss_if_I_accidentally_received_a_confidential_email\" >Should I tell my boss if I accidentally received a confidential email?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/received-confidential-email-mistake\/#What_if_the_email_was_sent_from_outside_my_company\" >What if the email was sent from outside my company?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/received-confidential-email-mistake\/#Can_I_get_in_trouble_for_forwarding_a_misdirected_email_to_the_right_person\" >Can I get in trouble for forwarding a misdirected email to the right person?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/received-confidential-email-mistake\/#How_long_should_I_keep_a_misdirected_email_before_deleting_it\" >How long should I keep a misdirected email before deleting it?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_This_Moment_Matters_More_Than_It_Feels_Like_It_Does\"><\/span>Why This Moment Matters More Than It Feels Like It Does<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most guidance on email mistakes focuses on the person who sent it. The recipient&#8217;s side gets far less attention, which is strange, because misdirected email is one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/ico.org.uk\/action-weve-taken\/complaints-and-concerns-data-sets\/data-security-incident-trends\/glossary-of-terms\/incident-types\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">most commonly reported data security incidents<\/a> regulators track, and every one of those incidents has a recipient making a decision that determines what happens next: read further, forward it, screenshot it, mention it to a colleague, or report it and move on. That decision determines whether a misdirected email stays a minor slip or becomes a second incident layered on top of the first one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Organizations that only train the sending half of this problem, covered in what to do about <a href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/email-security-best-practices\/\">misdirected email you send<\/a>, miss half the risk. A well-trained employee who never misdirects a message can still turn someone else&#8217;s mistake into a real breach by handling a wrongly received email carelessly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Three_Questions_That_Decide_Your_Next_Move\"><\/span>The Three Questions That Decide Your Next Move<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before doing anything else with a misdirected email, answer three questions in order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Is it spam or a mass send. If the message is a marketing blast, a newsletter, or clearly automated and contains nothing personal, delete it or mark it as junk and move on. No response is required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do you know who it was actually meant for. A message with a similar name in the &#8220;to&#8221; field, an internal typo, or an obvious autocomplete error usually makes the intended recipient clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Is the content sensitive. Personal data, financial details, health information, legal correspondence, or anything under a confidentiality agreement changes everything that follows, regardless of how you answered the first two questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<meta charset=\"UTF-8\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0\">\n<title>Threatcop \u2013 Book a Free Demo<\/title>\n<link href=\"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\/css2?family=Outfit:wght@300;400;500;600;700&#038;display=swap\" rel=\"stylesheet\">\n<style>\n  .tc-wrap , .tc-wrap ::before, .tc-wrap ::after { box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0; padding: 0; }\n  .tc-wrap { font-family: 'Outfit', sans-serif; width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; padding: 20px 10px; }\n  .tc-card { width: 100%; max-width: 820px; background: #fff; border-radius: 20px; overflow: hidden; box-shadow: 0 20px 60px rgba(24,57,148,0.13), 0 4px 16px rgba(24,57,148,0.07); display: flex; flex-direction: row; }\n  .tc-left { background: linear-gradient(160deg, #1e44b0 0%, #183994 40%, #0e2570 100%); 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never shared with third parties\n        <\/div>\n      <\/form>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script>document.getElementById('tc-page-source').value = window.location.href;<\/script>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_to_Do_When_You_Know_the_Intended_Recipient\"><\/span>What to Do When You Know the Intended Recipient<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If it is obvious who the confidential email was meant for and the content is not sensitive, forward it to that person and copy the original sender so they know what happened. This closes the loop without you reading further than necessary or holding onto information that was never meant for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the content is sensitive, do not forward it, even to the right person, without checking with your security team first. Forwarding sensitive data introduces a second point of exposure and a second person now holding data outside its intended boundary. Let the original sender resend it through the correct, secure channel instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_to_Do_When_You_Do_Not_Know_Who_It_Was_For\"><\/span>What to Do When You Do Not Know Who It Was For<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If there is no way to tell who a misdirected email was intended for, reply to the sender, explain that you received it by mistake, and ask what they would like you to do. Do not guess and forward it to someone who seems like a plausible match. A wrong guess compounds the original mistake with a second misdirected send, except this time you are the one responsible for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the sender is unreachable, or the message came from outside your organization and appears to involve something urgent to someone&#8217;s safety, career, or finances, that is the point to escalate to your security or compliance team rather than deciding alone how much effort the situation deserves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_You_Should_Loop_In_Security_or_Compliance\"><\/span>When You Should Loop In Security or Compliance<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Escalate rather than resolve it quietly whenever any of the following is true, the same threshold used for <a href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/information-security-risk-management\/\">information security risk management<\/a> generally: the email contains personal data about people who are not you, it involves financial account details or credentials, it came from outside the organization and you cannot verify who sent it, or you are genuinely unsure whether it counts as confidential business information. Uncertainty is itself a reason to escalate, not a reason to assume it is probably fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the same judgment call organizations ask employees to make when they <a href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/how-do-phishing-simulations-contribute-to-enterprise-security\/\">report a phishing attempt<\/a> rather than deleting a suspicious email and saying nothing. A misdirected email you received is not an attack, but the reporting instinct that catches one also catches the other, and building one habit tends to build both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Ethical_and_Legal_Side_Briefly\"><\/span>The Ethical and Legal Side, Briefly<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In most jurisdictions, receiving a misdirected email by accident carries no legal obligation to act, and forwarding or discussing it is not automatically unlawful the way, for example, accessing a system without authorization under laws like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/jm\/jm-9-48000-computer-fraud\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Computer Fraud and Abuse Act<\/a> would be. But a confidentiality agreement your organization has with a client or partner can create an obligation your personal legal exposure would not, which is exactly why this is a security and compliance question, not a purely ethical one you resolve on your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the human side of <a href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/how-does-human-error-relate-to-security-risks\/\">why human error contributes to security risk<\/a>: the mistake already happened, and what you do next either contains it or compounds it. Treat gossiping about the contents, or mentioning what you saw to a colleague who was not on the message, as off the table regardless of the legal position. The content was never meant for you to have an opinion about, and repeating it does the same harm as forwarding it would.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Organizations_Build_This_Into_Their_Reporting_Culture\"><\/span>How Organizations Build This Into Their Reporting Culture<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The gap in most training programs is that they cover sending mistakes and phishing recognition but never address what a recipient should do with someone else&#8217;s misdirected data, even though <a href=\"https:\/\/www.verizon.com\/business\/resources\/reports\/dbir\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Verizon&#8217;s Data Breach Investigations Report<\/a> tracks this exact failure mode every year under its Miscellaneous Errors pattern. That is a real gap, because <a href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/how-incident-reporting-culture-prevents-greater-damage\/\">how incident reporting culture prevents greater damage<\/a> depends on every employee knowing what counts as reportable, not just the employees who happen to make the original mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Closing that gap looks like two things done together, not one alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th><strong>Element<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>What it covers<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>Why it matters here<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Explicit recipient-side guidance in training<\/td><td>What to do when you receive, not just when you send, a misdirected message<\/td><td>Most programs are entirely sender-focused and leave this scenario untrained<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>A low-friction reporting channel<\/td><td>A named, fast way to flag a received-in-error message without a formal process<\/td><td>Removes the hesitation that turns a five-minute report into a held-onto secret<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/role-based-security-awareness-training\/\">Role-based training<\/a> is where this gets built. Threatcop&#8217;s TLMS delivers this kind of scenario-specific microlearning as a short refresher rather than folding it into a once-a-year module that people forget within weeks, which matters because recipient-side judgment calls like this one come up rarely enough that nobody remembers the right answer without recent reinforcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Recipient_Half_of_the_Problem\"><\/span>The Recipient Half of the Problem<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every misdirected email has two people who can contain it or make it worse: the person who sent it and the person who received it. Most training only prepares the first person. Building the same instinct into the second, report what looks sensitive, do not forward or repeat it, and let security make the call when you are unsure, closes a gap that otherwise sits open in plain sight. See how scenario-specific training builds that instinct on <a href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/threatcop-security-awareness-training\">Threatcop&#8217;s security awareness training platform<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Frequently_Asked_Questions\"><\/span>Frequently Asked Questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\t\t<div class=\"sp-easy-accordion-block sp-eab-regular-accordion alignwide\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"sp-eab-wrapper sp-eab-vertical-accordion sp-eab-483e34a4db04\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion sp-eab-mode-vertical sp-eab-vertical-one sp-d-flex' data-accordion-settings=\"{&quot;mode&quot;:&quot;vertical&quot;,&quot;activeEvent&quot;:&quot;click&quot;,&quot;defaultAccordionOpen&quot;:&quot;first-item&quot;,&quot;selectedItemOpen&quot;:0,&quot;openMultiItemAtaTime&quot;:false,&quot;scrollToTopOnLoad&quot;:false,&quot;scrollToTopOnClick&quot;:false,&quot;accordionItemToUrl&quot;:false,&quot;animationEffect&quot;:false,&quot;applyAccessibility&quot;:true}\">\n        \t    \t\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tid =\"sp-eab-item-ba53ef81472b\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"sp-eab-accordion-item eab-item-a4db04\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sp-eab-accordion-item-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='sp-eab-accordion-heading sp-d-flex sp-align-center eab-heading-a4db04'\n\t\t\t\t\t\t><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_it_illegal_to_read_an_email_that_was_not_meant_for_me\"><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-wrapper sp-d-flex sp-align-center eab-icon-position-end'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-start sp-d-flex sp-justify-left sp-align-center'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-title-subtitle-wrapper sp-d-flex'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-title-wrapper sp-d-flex sp-align-center'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-title-text'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIs it illegal to read an email that was not meant for me?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-end eab-icon-animated'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-expand-collapse-icon sp-d-block'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class='sp-eab-expand-icon eab-icon-angle-down-solid'><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class='sp-eab-collapse-icon eab-icon-angle-up-solid'><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- accordion body -->\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-content eab-content-a4db04'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-content-wrapper'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-body'>\n\t\t\t    \t\t\t\t\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Generally no, simply reading a misdirected email that landed in your own inbox is not illegal in most jurisdictions, since you did not access anything without authorization. What you do next, such as forwarding, screenshotting, or acting on the content, is where legal and organizational risk actually starts.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tid =\"sp-eab-item-e498fe316050\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"sp-eab-accordion-item eab-item-a4db04\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sp-eab-accordion-item-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='sp-eab-accordion-heading sp-d-flex sp-align-center eab-heading-a4db04'\n\t\t\t\t\t\t><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Should_I_tell_my_boss_if_I_accidentally_received_a_confidential_email\"><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-wrapper sp-d-flex sp-align-center eab-icon-position-end'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-start sp-d-flex sp-justify-left sp-align-center'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-title-subtitle-wrapper sp-d-flex'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-title-wrapper sp-d-flex sp-align-center'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-title-text'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tShould I tell my boss if I accidentally received a confidential email?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-end eab-icon-animated'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-expand-collapse-icon sp-d-block'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class='sp-eab-expand-icon eab-icon-angle-down-solid'><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class='sp-eab-collapse-icon eab-icon-angle-up-solid'><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- accordion body -->\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-content eab-content-a4db04'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-content-wrapper'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-body'>\n\t\t\t    \t\t\t\t\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes, if the content is sensitive or you are unsure. Reporting a confidential email you received by mistake protects you as much as it protects the organization, and it lets security assess whether the sender&#8217;s mistake needs to be addressed more broadly.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tid =\"sp-eab-item-0e4fd0fedb29\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"sp-eab-accordion-item eab-item-a4db04\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sp-eab-accordion-item-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='sp-eab-accordion-heading sp-d-flex sp-align-center eab-heading-a4db04'\n\t\t\t\t\t\t><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_if_the_email_was_sent_from_outside_my_company\"><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-wrapper sp-d-flex sp-align-center eab-icon-position-end'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-start sp-d-flex sp-justify-left sp-align-center'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-title-subtitle-wrapper sp-d-flex'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-title-wrapper sp-d-flex sp-align-center'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-title-text'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat if the email was sent from outside my company?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-end eab-icon-animated'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-expand-collapse-icon sp-d-block'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class='sp-eab-expand-icon eab-icon-angle-down-solid'><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class='sp-eab-collapse-icon eab-icon-angle-up-solid'><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- accordion body -->\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-content eab-content-a4db04'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-content-wrapper'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-body'>\n\t\t\t    \t\t\t\t\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reply to the external sender to flag the mistake if you can verify who they are, and loop in your own security team regardless, since an external misdirected email might indicate a vendor or partner with weaker data handling practices than your own organization expects.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tid =\"sp-eab-item-513862285dde\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"sp-eab-accordion-item eab-item-a4db04\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sp-eab-accordion-item-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='sp-eab-accordion-heading sp-d-flex sp-align-center eab-heading-a4db04'\n\t\t\t\t\t\t><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_get_in_trouble_for_forwarding_a_misdirected_email_to_the_right_person\"><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-wrapper sp-d-flex sp-align-center eab-icon-position-end'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-start sp-d-flex sp-justify-left sp-align-center'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-title-subtitle-wrapper sp-d-flex'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-title-wrapper sp-d-flex sp-align-center'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-title-text'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCan I get in trouble for forwarding a misdirected email to the right person?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-end eab-icon-animated'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-expand-collapse-icon sp-d-block'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class='sp-eab-expand-icon eab-icon-angle-down-solid'><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class='sp-eab-collapse-icon eab-icon-angle-up-solid'><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- accordion body -->\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-content eab-content-a4db04'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-content-wrapper'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-body'>\n\t\t\t    \t\t\t\t\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Forwarding a non-sensitive email to the person it was clearly meant for, while copying the original sender, is standard practice and not something you would be penalized for. The risk appears when the content is sensitive and forwarding it, even to the correct person, adds another party who now holds data that should have stayed contained.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tid =\"sp-eab-item-cdf616de1b4b\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"sp-eab-accordion-item eab-item-a4db04\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sp-eab-accordion-item-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='sp-eab-accordion-heading sp-d-flex sp-align-center eab-heading-a4db04'\n\t\t\t\t\t\t><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_long_should_I_keep_a_misdirected_email_before_deleting_it\"><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-wrapper sp-d-flex sp-align-center eab-icon-position-end'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-start sp-d-flex sp-justify-left sp-align-center'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-title-subtitle-wrapper sp-d-flex'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-title-wrapper sp-d-flex sp-align-center'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-title-text'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHow long should I keep a misdirected email before deleting it?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-end eab-icon-animated'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-expand-collapse-icon sp-d-block'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class='sp-eab-expand-icon eab-icon-angle-down-solid'><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class='sp-eab-collapse-icon eab-icon-angle-up-solid'><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- accordion body -->\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-content eab-content-a4db04'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-content-wrapper'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-body'>\n\t\t\t    \t\t\t\t\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do not keep it longer than it takes to report or resolve it. Once you have flagged it to the sender or your security team, delete it rather than archiving it indefinitely, since retaining someone else&#8217;s sensitive data for your own records serves no purpose and extends the exposure window.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A confidential email lands in your inbox by mistake. See the right order of steps to take, when to escalate to security, and what not to do next.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":15425,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-email-security"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Received a Confidential Email by Mistake? Here Is What to Do<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A confidential email lands in your inbox by mistake. See the right order of steps to take, when to escalate to security, and what not to do next.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/received-confidential-email-mistake\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Received a Confidential Email by Mistake? Here Is What to Do\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A confidential email lands in your inbox by mistake. 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