A sharp increase in data theft cases heard in the High Court has been reported by UK law firm EMW. Mostly, cases relate to information taken from the workplace by employees, with the finger pointing towards cloud storage availability, as well as more people working remotely. During 2011, there were 106 cases relating to confidential data theft, which increased massively by 58% in 2012, to 167 cases.
Some reports highlight a huge 250% increase when compared to the 45 cases recorded in 2010, although this was misleading, as it was down on the 95 cases in 2009. It's clear that over the last few years there's been an overall increase; quite alarming news for many businesses. The majority of cases brought to the High Court were civil, by companies against former employees who had taken data, such as contact lists or financial information.
Such cases have average legal costs of lb30,000 according to reports, without taking into account the value of the data. It's difficult to price this, as it can have both financial and other implications. It's also almost impossible to get back once taken from the company network.
Dropbox, SkyDrive and other cloud storage services have been blamed as being a major factor in the increased levels of data theft. These services allow unhappy employees to transfer both easily and quickly, very large amounts of data. Another factor cited is that of the increasing number of people working remotely, and therefore having access to company databases outside of the office, making data theft more of a temptation.
In the fantasy world of a Hollywood film, our data thieving hero would nervously be watching the progress bar on the computer as his adversary's footsteps approached. However, the reality is far easier for the data thief. Watching TV at home in their chair, he or she can steal or transfer data with ease, and without being observed, at least physically.
The best way to monitor such breaches is through data leak protection (DLP) systems, in addition to restricting the employees able to access data, either in or out of the office. These systems can monitor even small fragments of data being transferred, as well as file systems, individual files and their movement across pre-defined boundaries. DLP also allows businesses to change such boundaries, making it much more of a challenge for employees to take data. Preventing the use of devices such as USB drives or DVD burners, and filtering web access to cloud storage services, may also help a great deal.
Whether these increased figures are due to a failure to implement such measures, or indeed an increase in their effectiveness, thereby catching more people in the process, is unclear. Theft of data, however, remains a significant issue for businesses, which needs addressing.
Data, on whatever scale, needs careful protection and supervision, whether employees are office based or otherwise. It seems data theft penalties aren't always working, but keeping employees on side may also help.
Some reports highlight a huge 250% increase when compared to the 45 cases recorded in 2010, although this was misleading, as it was down on the 95 cases in 2009. It's clear that over the last few years there's been an overall increase; quite alarming news for many businesses. The majority of cases brought to the High Court were civil, by companies against former employees who had taken data, such as contact lists or financial information.
Such cases have average legal costs of lb30,000 according to reports, without taking into account the value of the data. It's difficult to price this, as it can have both financial and other implications. It's also almost impossible to get back once taken from the company network.
Dropbox, SkyDrive and other cloud storage services have been blamed as being a major factor in the increased levels of data theft. These services allow unhappy employees to transfer both easily and quickly, very large amounts of data. Another factor cited is that of the increasing number of people working remotely, and therefore having access to company databases outside of the office, making data theft more of a temptation.
In the fantasy world of a Hollywood film, our data thieving hero would nervously be watching the progress bar on the computer as his adversary's footsteps approached. However, the reality is far easier for the data thief. Watching TV at home in their chair, he or she can steal or transfer data with ease, and without being observed, at least physically.
The best way to monitor such breaches is through data leak protection (DLP) systems, in addition to restricting the employees able to access data, either in or out of the office. These systems can monitor even small fragments of data being transferred, as well as file systems, individual files and their movement across pre-defined boundaries. DLP also allows businesses to change such boundaries, making it much more of a challenge for employees to take data. Preventing the use of devices such as USB drives or DVD burners, and filtering web access to cloud storage services, may also help a great deal.
Whether these increased figures are due to a failure to implement such measures, or indeed an increase in their effectiveness, thereby catching more people in the process, is unclear. Theft of data, however, remains a significant issue for businesses, which needs addressing.
Data, on whatever scale, needs careful protection and supervision, whether employees are office based or otherwise. It seems data theft penalties aren't always working, but keeping employees on side may also help.
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