29 Jan 2009

Data theft 'on the rise'

Companies are being urged to bolster security after the economic slump has resulted in an increase in data theft.

A survey of 1,000 IT decision makers by industry specialists McAfee found that most firms rate former employees as the biggest threat to security.

Information security manager Seth Bromberger says that the threat of vengeful ex-staff is "on a lot of people's radars right now".

"The economic downturn across the board is going to provide additional motivation for people who would want to do harm," he tells IDG News Service.

USB drives are also an underestimated source of data leaks, according to McAfee's chief executive officer Dave DeWalt who tells the source that 100GB could store customer information for an entire organisation.

Firms are now having to pay out around $6 million (£4.2 million) to rectify security breaches, according to McAfee.

Alan Calder, chief executive of IT Governance, recently warned businesses not to skimp on computer security, as it could lead to the collapse of the entire company.