Insider Data Leaks: A Growing Enterprise ThreatInsider Data Leaks: A Growing Enterprise Threat

Report finds 85% of employees are more likely to leak sensitive files now than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

April 24, 2021

1 Min Read

Cybercriminals get many of the IT security headlines, but most enterprise data leaks are caused by end users who fail to follow corporate security policy or try to work around it.

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It’s a growing problem for security teams, research indicates. The "2020 Cost of Insider Threats: Global Report" by Ponemon Institute finds approximately 62% of insider incidents last year were caused by employee or contractor negligence.

The "Detecting and Preventing Insider Data Leaks" Tech Insights report finds the pandemic has only exacerbated the problem around insider threats. The recent "2021 Data Exposure Report" from Code42 finds employees are now 85% more likely to leak sensitive files now than they were before COVID-19. Since the start of the pandemic, 61% of IT security leaders say their remote workforce was the cause of a data breach.

The Tech Insights report suggests organizations will need to redouble their efforts to understand and contain the risks that lead to accidental insider data leaks.

Read the full report on insider data leaks here.