Ah, for the simpler time, when employers worried about their workers stealing pens. Now employees are taking company information with them when they leave, according to a new survey conducted by the Ponemon Institute.
Nearly 60% of those who participated in the study admitted to stealing customer data, contact lists, employee records, financial reports, confidential business documents, software tools or other intellectual property.
The 945 participants were from the United States and had been laid-off, fired or changed jobs in the last 12 months.
There were 656 data breaches reported in 2008, a 47% increase over the number reported in 2007, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center. The ITRC also reports that in that same period insider theft more than doubled, and is responsible for 15.7% of the breaches.
The antivirus software and computer security company McAfee estimates that the attacks by hackers, organized crime rings and insiders cost businesses $1 trillion globally last year.
Other findings from the study:
Only 15% of the companies the survey participants left in 2008 conducted any kind of audit or review of the paper documents or electronic files the employees took with them.
Of those, 45% said the audit or review was very poor; 29% said the review was fairly superficial.
After their employment ended, 24% of the surveyed employees were still able to electronically access company data.
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Tags: Identity Theft Resource Center, LifeLock promo code Defense, McAfee, Ponemon Institute
I used to steal pens, postit notes, all my home office supplies, but I never had the nerve to steal that stuff.