Cisco assesses ‘insider threat’ in data leakage

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Cisco assesses ‘insider threat’ in data leakage

Global security research reveals scope of employee risk, biggest concerns around information loss due to inadvertent and malicious behavior

Thursday, November 13, 2008

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BANGALORE, INDIA: Cisco, a leading player in the field of networking, today issued the third and final set of findings from its global security study on data leakage, shedding light on the employee 'insider threat' to corporate information.

The latest findings compare the information technology profession's biggest concerns around employee risk with the reality of employees' behavior, which regardless of whether it's inadvertent or malicious, can impact company brands and cost businesses a fortune, said a press release.

Conducted by InsightExpress, a U.S. market research firm, the security study was commissioned by Cisco to assess the implications of data leakage as businesses become more collaborative, mobile and distributed. The latest findings round out previously published research on employee data leakage mistakes and corporate security policies, the release said.

More than 2,000 employees and IT professionals in 10 countries including US, UK, China and India were interviewed.

"The blending of work vs. home and public vs. private means that data can be accessed, transmitted, stored and stolen from anywhere at any time," said John N. Stewart, chief security officer of Cisco. "As a result, the approach to data protection must change."

He said that the present study presents an opportunity to evolve security toward a necessary combination of education, policy and technology. One of the study's most noteworthy findings is IT's widespread belief that employees are becoming more cognizant of security risks and are more diligent in protecting data. But the reality is different, he pointed out.

The research suggests that while the majority of security threats exist outside an organization, the 'insider threat', whether it's accidental or malicious, can be as prevalent as any external source.

According to the study, about one in 10 employees lost or had a corporate device stolen in the year leading up to the study.

Also 11 per cent employees who took part in the study admitted stealing data or corporate devices and selling them for a profit, or knowing fellow employees who did so, the release said.

Stewart noted that companies could take a number of recommended steps to minimize risk and contain the costs associated with data loss.

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