Eavesdropping
Threats
Data must be protected from unauthorized inspection.
Most E-mails with attachments sent over the Internet are unencrypted. The same statement can be applied to the majority of data transfers over public networks. With the appropriate software it is relatively easy to tap into these types of messages and misuse them without being noticed. The protective goal is data confidentiality. It must be assured that those with proper authorization can only view messages.
Encryption is the response to loss of confidentiality of stored or transferred information.