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.
Data leak protection (DLP) systems are ideal to monitor and detect such instances, together with increasing restrictions on the employees able to access data. DLP can monitor even fragments of data being accessed or moved, as well as monitoring file transfer at any level, and are also capable of placing restrictions on such activities. Additional controls such as web filtering of cloud storage services, or blocking use of USB devices and DVD burners, could also help, as a preventative measure.
It's not clear whether the increased figures are because of a failure to implement such measures, or rather an increase in their quality, thereby catching more thieves in the act. Data theft remains a problem, however, which needs addressing.
In short, data needs proper monitoring and protection, whether accessed in the office or remotely. Keeping employees happy may help, but data theft penalties don't always seem to work either.
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.
Data leak protection (DLP) systems are ideal to monitor and detect such instances, together with increasing restrictions on the employees able to access data. DLP can monitor even fragments of data being accessed or moved, as well as monitoring file transfer at any level, and are also capable of placing restrictions on such activities. Additional controls such as web filtering of cloud storage services, or blocking use of USB devices and DVD burners, could also help, as a preventative measure.
It's not clear whether the increased figures are because of a failure to implement such measures, or rather an increase in their quality, thereby catching more thieves in the act. Data theft remains a problem, however, which needs addressing.
In short, data needs proper monitoring and protection, whether accessed in the office or remotely. Keeping employees happy may help, but data theft penalties don't always seem to work either.
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