Survey: Downturn In Economy Leading To More Employees Downloading Sensitive Company Data
It would seem desperate times call for desperate measures, as a survey released recently shows that workers will do almost anything to keep their jobs -- but at a cost to the employer.
The survey, into “The Global Recession and its Effect on Work Ethics”, carried out by IT security data expert Cyber-Ark Software, found that more than one third of the 600 office workers (from New York’s Wall Street, London’s Docklands and Amsterdam, Holland), confirmed they would be willing to work 80 hours a week, with 25 percent prepared to take a salary cut, if it meant they could keep their jobs. However, these workers also admitted to conspiring behind their bosses’ backs to download vital, useful and competitive information to take with them if and when they get the push.
Though not a surprise, 56 percent of workers surveyed admitted to being worried about losing their jobs. Alarmingly, in preparation, more than half have already downloaded competitive corporate data and plan to use the information as a negotiating tool to secure their next post:
In Holland, 71 percent of workers confessed to having already downloaded data, 58 percent in the United States and just 40 percent in the UK.
When confronted with the prospect of being fired tomorrow and ethics go out the door (so to speak), 71 percent surveyed declared they would definitely take company data with them to their next employer.
Top of the list of desirable information is the customer and contact databases, with plans and proposals, product information, and access/password codes all proving popular choices. HR records and legal documents were the least most favored data that employees were interested in taking.
Lay off is a sore term and rumors that they were looming would send 46 percent of the global workers interviewed scurrying about trying to obtain the lay off list. Half said they’d try using their access rights to snoop around the network and if this failed, they’d consider bribing an employee in the IT department to do it for them.
“Employers have a right to expect loyalty from their workforce, however this works both ways and in these dark days everyone is jittery especially with lay offs at the top of most corporate agendas -- the instinct is to look out for number one,” said Adam Bosnian, vice president of products, strategy and sales of Cyber-Ark. “It would be unthinkable to leave money on a desk, an obvious temptation to anyone passing, instead it is always safely locked away and its time sensitive information is given the same consideration. If times get hard, and they invariably will, companies need to ensure that any cutbacks aren’t deeper then expected when stolen data unexpectedly eradicates any chance of survival -- our advice is to only allow access to sensitive information to those that really need it, lock it away in a digital vault and encrypt the really sensitive data.”
Luckily some companies seem to be heeding the danger that data leakage poses. The survey reveals that workers globally believe it’s becoming harder to take sensitive information out of the company -- 71 percent in the UK acknowledged it was difficult and 46 percent in Holland agreed. Yet in the United States, the message still isn’t getting through with only 38 percent of respondents admitting that they had found it difficult to sneak information away.
Memory sticks are the smallest, easiest, cheapest and least traceable method of downloading huge amounts of data, which is why this is often considered the “weapon of choice”. Other methods were photocopying, e-mailing, CDs, online encrypted storage Web sites, smart phones, DVDs, cameras, Skype, iPods and, rather randomly yet quite disconcerting, in the UK 7 percent said they’d memorize the important data.
Additionally, the survey discloses that universally we’re not all as equally conscientious. In the United States, 50 percent of workers were prepared to work that much harder compared to 37 percent in Holland and just 27 percent in the UK in favor of an 80 hour week.
When asked what other lengths they would go to in order to keep their jobs, the data wasn’t just limited to the hours employees were willing to put in. For the US there were no boundaries with 15 percent admitting they’d consider blackmailing the boss and 26 percent prepared to buy the next round of drinks for a year. The Brits and Dutch however, claimed to be more honest with just 3 percent contemplating bribery, and only 6 percent in Holland and 2 percent in the UK willing to buy the drinks.
“The damage that insiders can do should not be underestimated,” Bosnian said. “With a faltering economy resulting in increased jobs cuts, deferred promotions and additional stress, companies need to be especially vigilant about protecting their most sensitive data against nervous or disgruntled employees.”