The number of data theft cases heard in the High Court has sharply increased, according to UK law firm EMW. It seems that this is due to the availability of cloud storage, in addition to an increase in people working remotely for companies, away from the office. Between 2011 and 2012, there was a huge 58% increase in the number of such cases heard in the High Court, rising from 106 to 167 respectively.
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.
A major issue has been cited as cloud storage services, for example Dropbox. Such services make it easy for huge amounts of data to be stored or transferred very rapidly, and without any technical expertise. Another factor is the ever increasing number of people working out of the office, or remotely, meaning employees are often more freely able to access and steal data.
The fantasy of the film world would have our data-thieving hero anxiously watching a progress bar on the computer screen before him, whilst listening to the footsteps of his adversary move ever closer. The reality, however, is far more stress-free for the perpetrator. Whilst comfortably sitting in their chair whilst watching television at home, he or she can copy or upload data with ease, with minimal risk of physical observation, at least.
Data leak protection (DLP) systems should ideally be used to monitor such occurrences, as well as more stringent restrictions on the people able to access sensitive data, remotely or otherwise. DLP is able to monitor file types, specific files, or even fragments of data crossing pre-defined boundaries, and can even limit the amount of data transferred from point to point over a specified period of time. Adding controls to devices, such as preventing use of USB drives, CD burners, as well as web filtering blocking access to cloud services, can help to prevent the removal of data from company computers by disgruntled employees.
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.
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.
A major issue has been cited as cloud storage services, for example Dropbox. Such services make it easy for huge amounts of data to be stored or transferred very rapidly, and without any technical expertise. Another factor is the ever increasing number of people working out of the office, or remotely, meaning employees are often more freely able to access and steal data.
The fantasy of the film world would have our data-thieving hero anxiously watching a progress bar on the computer screen before him, whilst listening to the footsteps of his adversary move ever closer. The reality, however, is far more stress-free for the perpetrator. Whilst comfortably sitting in their chair whilst watching television at home, he or she can copy or upload data with ease, with minimal risk of physical observation, at least.
Data leak protection (DLP) systems should ideally be used to monitor such occurrences, as well as more stringent restrictions on the people able to access sensitive data, remotely or otherwise. DLP is able to monitor file types, specific files, or even fragments of data crossing pre-defined boundaries, and can even limit the amount of data transferred from point to point over a specified period of time. Adding controls to devices, such as preventing use of USB drives, CD burners, as well as web filtering blocking access to cloud services, can help to prevent the removal of data from company computers by disgruntled employees.
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.
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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