If workplace information goes to the wrong recipient, report it promptly through the organisation’s privacy or security process and take authorised steps to limit further disclosure. Record what happened accurately, including information that remains uncertain.
Do not wait to establish every consequence before reporting. A mistaken email, shared link or attachment can require assessment even when the sender hopes it has not been opened.
Preserve the facts and follow the response process
Identify the message or sharing action, time, intended and actual recipient, information involved and any known access. Keep the relevant evidence through the approved process rather than deleting it to hide the mistake. Our IT roles and skills guide provides broader context for technical support responsibilities; use the employer’s nominated incident contact rather than assuming any colleague with IT experience is authorised to handle the disclosure.
The OAIC’s data-breach response guide describes containment, assessment, notification where required and review. It also cautions against destroying evidence during response.
The responsible privacy or security team should determine the applicable assessment and notification obligations. An individual staff member should not assume every incident is legally notifiable or decide that none is because only one recipient was involved.
Limit disclosure within your authority
Use the organisation’s approved immediate-response steps and contact the designated responder. An authorised administrator may need to review link permissions or other access. Avoid making broad system changes that could destroy evidence or disrupt the response.
An email recall or a request to delete information may be relevant, but it is not proof that no copy was made or harm is impossible. Record the action and any response without overstating what it establishes.
Do not forward the sensitive material to a wide group to explain the incident. Use the approved secure reporting channel and provide only what the response team needs.
A practical initial-report record
Include:
- Event: what was sent, shared or exposed and when.
- Recipients: intended and actual destinations, as known.
- Information: categories involved, using a proportionate description.
- Access: confirmed facts and uncertainty about viewing or onward sharing.
- Action: containment steps taken and by whose authority.
- Evidence: the approved location of relevant records.
- Contact: responder notified and immediate instructions received.
- Follow-up: information or actions still required.
Keep the incident record appropriately restricted. A general action tracker can reference the case without repeating the disclosed personal information.
A fictional misdirected attachment
In this invented example, an employee notices that a document containing customer contact details was attached to an email sent to an unintended external address. They report the event through the designated process and preserve the message details.
The response team considers containment and assessment. The employee records a recipient’s statement about deletion as one fact, not a guarantee that the incident has no consequences. Any required notifications are handled through the authorised process.
Learn after the immediate response
When the responsible team permits review, examine the workflow: recipient selection, attachment checking, access settings and the information needed for the task. Avoid assuming a reminder to “be careful” is enough if the process repeatedly creates the same risk.
Implement approved changes and confirm staff understand them. A useful response combines prompt reporting, proportionate containment and accurate records, with decisions about obligations made by the appropriate people.
