Email
Print
ShareWon't Steal Corporate Data? You're In The Minority
Posted by Bob Evans on Dec 10, 2008 04:47 PM
The bad news on insider threats keeps getting worse: most respondents to a new database-security study think such attacks will accelerate in 2009 and that insiders will most likely be behind them. Yesterday I noted the huge risks from employees wanting some "insurance" in case they get laid off; today's culprits appear to be a mix of shortsighted budgeting, ignorance, and incompetence.
Yes, that's tough talk, but combined with new studies highlighted in yesterday's post about how a significant majority of employees are willing to steal corporate data out of fear of being laid off, these additional findings could well require CIOs to reset cybersecurity priorities and dollars. Just look at this answer to a question about which factors are keeping companies from improving the security of enterprise databases that those companies admit are vulnerable:
This is becoming a huge issue that CIOs will have to tackle in 2009, and these latest results from Enterprise Strategy Group underscore, once again, the grave danger posed by employees who are either looking to steal customer data or who are simply unaware of proper security policies. Look at these responses to a question about the root causes of confidential-data breaches that companies had to disclose in the past 12 months:
And, as if these numbers haven't caused enough heartburn and indigestion, let me heap on a few more habaneros: "Nearly 84% of respondents believe that all or most of their confidential data is protected. This perception is disconnected from reality, as the same respondents noted they failed security audits more than 33% of the time (HIPAA, SOX, FISMA, etc.)." This last bit is from a press release about the study from Application Security, which sponsored the study and said that contact information for obtaining a copy of the report is available here.
This is a public forum. United Business Media and its affiliates are not responsible for and do not control what is posted herein. United Business Media makes no warranties or guarantees concerning any advice dispensed by its staff members or readers.
Community standards in this comment area do not permit hate language, excessive profanity, or other patently offensive language. Please be aware that all information posted to this comment area becomes the property of United Business Media LLC and may be edited and republished in print or electronic format as outlined in United Business Media's Terms of Service.
Important Note: This comment area is NOT intended for commercial messages or solicitations of business.