Mitigating Risks in Email Contracts: Security Essentials for Negotiations

That convenience comes with real risk. Phishing and interception remain serious threats, especially when sensitive terms are sent without extra layers of protection, like phishing protection or secure email communication.

And yet, despite the risk of sensitive contracts ending up in the wrong inbox or exposed over an insecure connection, many organizations still rely on standard email setups to send everything from draft revisions to final signatures. In this article, we’ll break down the risks, show where typical workflows fall short, and explain how to build safer systems for contract communication.

Why Email Still Falls Short for Sensitive Negotiations

Despite its convenience, email remains fundamentally flawed when it comes to sending high-value or confidential contracts.

A System Not Built for Security

Email was never designed to handle sensitive contract communications. It was built for basic messaging, not for transmitting confidential terms, pricing, or legal documents. Messages still pass through multiple servers, and every one of those hops is a potential point of exposure. That’s what makes contract-related email especially vulnerable. A mistyped address or a convincing phishing link can lead to misdelivery. And attackers know it. 

Human Error Meets High Stakes

Business Email Compromise (BEC) tactics are getting sharper, with threat actors inserting themselves into active threads to intercept or reroute funds. Just this year, federal cybersecurity officials flagged BEC as “one of the most financially damaging threats” hitting sectors like healthcare. Even when encryption is available, it's often skipped—either because it’s partial, difficult to configure, or simply forgotten in a busy inbox. That’s how high-value contracts still end up traveling across the internet with almost no protection.

Interception Tactics Are Evolving—and Email Is a Prime Target

Modern attackers are exploiting long-standing weaknesses in how contract emails are sent and received.

Exploiting Weak Links in Email

So why does interception happen? Because email makes it easy. Hackers continue to exploit weak points in how messages travel, which highlights the need for stronger phishing protection and more secure email communication, especially when contract data is involved. Man-in-the-middle attacks, for example, allow threat actors to quietly sit between the sender and recipient, watching or even tampering with the message contents. Phishing often works the same way: fool someone into logging into a fake portal, and now they’ve  got access to an entire thread, including contracts in progress. 

Everyday Behavior Increases the Risk

The problem worsens when employees check email on public Wi-Fi or personal devices. A spoofed hotel network or unsecured home connection is all it takes. Most users are unaware that opening or forwarding a contract from an unprotected inbox can expose sensitive terms to anyone monitoring the email. In 2025, attackers are blending old tactics with new tools. Contract emails are now a high-risk channel for companies with hybrid or remote teams and need to be treated like one. Business email compromise and man-in-the-middle attacks are no longer rare events—they’re part of everyday threats.

Practical Steps to Keep Contract Emails Safer

Improving email security doesn’t mean reinventing your workflow—it starts with simple, proven adjustments.

When it comes to sending contracts over email, encryption is a must. It scrambles the message so only the intended recipient can read it, blocking out anyone trying to intercept it along the way. But encryption alone isn’t enough. A better approach is to keep contracts out of the email itself. Tools that let you send a secure link to a protected folder are safer than attaching the file directly. It keeps the document off email servers and limits who can open it. 

Adding multi-factor authentication (MFA) on company email accounts adds another layer of defense, making it much harder for attackers to sneak in, even if they manage to get hold of someone’s login details.

Every contract email carries risk, and protecting it starts with a mindset, not just tech. Instead of sending drafts as attachments, share them through secure portals that log who opens what. Encryption shouldn't be optional—it’s your first line of defense. And don’t forget multi-factor authentication; it’s the lock on the door, especially when passwords get stolen.

Limit who can access and forward contract files. Want to go further? Give contract teams a separate Wi‑Fi or VPN to work on. Finally, training doesn't have to be a chore—short, real-world sessions on spotting phishing or fake domains can prevent big mistakes. This mix of smart behavior and simple tools builds real protection around contract communication.

Challenges to Adopting Secure Email Solutions (and How to Overcome Them)

Strong security tools are essential, but they don’t solve everything.

Even with strong tools in place, keeping contract emails secure isn’t always straightforward. Legacy software doesn’t always work well with modern email encryption platforms, forcing employees to jump between systems just to send a document securely. On top of that, ensuring everyone knows how to use these tools—especially in large organizations with high turnover or siloed departments—can be a challenge.

But email security isn’t just an internal issue. If your partners or clients aren’t using secure email systems on their end, even airtight practices can fall apart. You might encrypt everything on your side, but one forwarded message from an unsecured inbox can still expose sensitive terms. That’s why it helps to align early. Agreeing on a few basic email security standards—whether written into a contract or just discussed up front—can go a long way in protecting contract communications on both sides.

Security Culture Beats Tools Alone

Organizations don’t have to guess what works—respected frameworks like NIST offer proven steps for email security.

Make It Part of the Job

Technology alone isn’t enough. Building a culture of secure communication often goes further than rolling out the latest encryption tools—especially when those tools are rarely used correctly in day-to-day email workflows. One way to shift habits is to bring real incidents into everyday conversations, like a competitor losing a deal after a contract was emailed without protection and leaked. That kind of story sticks. It’s just as important to highlight wins: if a team consistently uses secure links instead of attachments or catches a phishing attempt in a contract thread, call it out.

Lead by Example

Over time, people stop seeing security as a hassle and start viewing it as part of doing the job well. Leadership plays a big role here, too. If executives bypass encryption or casually forward contract PDFs from personal accounts, it sets the wrong tone. Leading by example helps keep everyone aligned and communication protected.

Follow Trusted Guidance for Email Protection

When contracts are exchanged over email daily, it pays to follow guidance built specifically to secure that channel. NIST outlines practical steps for email protection and encryption key management that, while sometimes technical, are straightforward to apply. This isn’t about overhauling every tool—it’s about tightening up the basics in how teams share contract terms over email. Even a few changes based on these guidelines can go a long way in keeping communications secure.

The Bottom Line: Secure Email, Stronger Deals

Email facilitates contract negotiation quickly, but it’s not always a safe method. When companies pass around draft agreements as plain attachments, they risk more than just version mix-ups. Unsecured emails are an open invitation to interception, and with sensitive business terms on the line, that’s not a risk worth taking. 

Tools like encryption, secure file portals, and access-limited links are simple ways to keep control over who sees what. But protecting contract data isn’t just about tools—it’s about how people use them. If drafts are buried in multiple inboxes or staff aren’t sure what version is current, mistakes happen. 

The fix? Treat email security and secure email communication as a core part of the contract process, not just an IT concern. With clear protocols and regular check-ins, teams can stay aligned, protect sensitive terms, and close deals with confidence. Ready to improve your contract workflows? Request a secure email audit from our team.