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.
It's clear that over the last few years there has been a significant increase in data theft, with some reports showing a 250% increase compared to the 45 cases in 2010. This was somewhat of an anomaly however, down on the 95 cases in 2009. Most cases brought to the High Court were civil, against former employees who had stolen company data, including technical specifications or designs, financial information or contact information.
The average cost of such cases is lb30,000, according to reports, not including the value of the stolen data. This is difficult to put a price on, due to the wide ranging implications of data being taken, both financial and other, business wide consequences. It is also virtually impossible to retrieve such data once it has been taken.
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.
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 could be that companies are failing to implement these measures, or that in fact, such measures are becoming more effective, catching more data thieves red handed. Theft of data, however, remains a big problem.
Company data needs careful protection and monitoring; keeping employees happy is one way to help. However, data theft penalties are seemingly not as effective as they could be at deterring such activities amongst employees.
It's clear that over the last few years there has been a significant increase in data theft, with some reports showing a 250% increase compared to the 45 cases in 2010. This was somewhat of an anomaly however, down on the 95 cases in 2009. Most cases brought to the High Court were civil, against former employees who had stolen company data, including technical specifications or designs, financial information or contact information.
The average cost of such cases is lb30,000, according to reports, not including the value of the stolen data. This is difficult to put a price on, due to the wide ranging implications of data being taken, both financial and other, business wide consequences. It is also virtually impossible to retrieve such data once it has been taken.
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.
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 could be that companies are failing to implement these measures, or that in fact, such measures are becoming more effective, catching more data thieves red handed. Theft of data, however, remains a big problem.
Company data needs careful protection and monitoring; keeping employees happy is one way to help. However, data theft penalties are seemingly not as effective as they could be at deterring such activities amongst employees.
About the Author:
Looking for information on data shredding? Visit our website. Confidential shredding experts Assured Shredding offer great value for regular or one-off work.
