The High Court has seen a significant increase in data theft cases being heard, according to UK law firm EMW. These cases tend to relate to information stolen from businesses by employees, and the availability of cloud storage is being blamed, together with the increasing number of people working remotely. Between 2011 and 2012, there was a huge 58% increase in the number of cases being heard relating to confidential data theft, increasing from 106 to 167 cases 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 legal cost of such cases is lb30,000 according to reports, which doesn't factor in the value of any data stolen. This is difficult to value due to possible financial and business related costs of the data theft. In addition, data is almost impossible to retrieve or track once taken.
The ease of use and availability of cloud storage services, such as Dropbox, has been cited as a major factor in increased levels of data theft. Disgruntled or unhappy employees are able to transfer huge amounts of data quickly, with ease and very little preparation. Others have pointed to the increase in the number of people working remotely, making it somewhat easier to steal data.
Our data thieving hero in the movies would be impatiently waiting for the download of information to his hard disk to complete, whilst his boss' footsteps got louder and louder as he was on the verge of being caught. It's much easier in reality however, with the perpetrator able to download and share data easily from the comfort of their own home, whilst sitting comfortably watching TV in their chair.
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.
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.
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 legal cost of such cases is lb30,000 according to reports, which doesn't factor in the value of any data stolen. This is difficult to value due to possible financial and business related costs of the data theft. In addition, data is almost impossible to retrieve or track once taken.
The ease of use and availability of cloud storage services, such as Dropbox, has been cited as a major factor in increased levels of data theft. Disgruntled or unhappy employees are able to transfer huge amounts of data quickly, with ease and very little preparation. Others have pointed to the increase in the number of people working remotely, making it somewhat easier to steal data.
Our data thieving hero in the movies would be impatiently waiting for the download of information to his hard disk to complete, whilst his boss' footsteps got louder and louder as he was on the verge of being caught. It's much easier in reality however, with the perpetrator able to download and share data easily from the comfort of their own home, whilst sitting comfortably watching TV in their chair.
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.
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.
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.
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