26 Feb Recession-era security threats find companies unprepared
As the clouds started gathering over the economy this past fall and winter, I heard the drumbeat grow louder from my security contacts who all gave the same warning: layoffs are going to exacerbate security problems.
As pink-slipped workers start thinking about looking after number one, they’re more likely shed their ethics and do things they normally wouldn’t. Namely, steal company information.
Now the data’s in and there are some stats to back up the security pros’ hunches. A new survey conducted by The Ponemon Institute in conjunction with Symantec has found that 59 percent of employees who lost or left a job in 2008 admitted to stealing confidential company information. Most startlingly, 82 percent of respondents reported that their employers didn’t perform an audit or review of paper or electronics before they left their jobs and nearly a quarter of respondents had access to their employer’s network after they left.
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