Disgrunted staff admit to taking confidential data when leaving
As layoffs continue, a survey released on Monday and published on Silicon.com shows what many companies fear - exiting workers are taking a lot more with them than just their personal things.
Of about 950 people who said they had lost or left their jobs during the last 12 months, nearly 60 per cent admitted to taking confidential company information with them, including customer contact lists and other data that could potentially end up in the hands of a competitor.
Larry Ponemon, founder of the Ponemon Institute, which conducted the online survey last month said: "I don't think these people see themselves as being thieves or as stealing. They feel they have a right to the information because they created it or it is useful to them and not useful to the employer."
The survey also found a correlation betwe
en people who took data they shouldn't have taken and their attitude towards the company they are leaving. More than 60 percent of those who stole confidential data also reported having an unfavourable view of the company. And nearly 80 per cent said they took it without the employer's permission.
Most of the data takers (53 per cent) said they downloaded the information onto a CD or DVD, while 42 per cent put it on a USB drive and 38 per cent sent it as attachments via email, according to the survey.
The survey also found that many companies seem to be lax in protecting against data theft during layoffs. Eighty-two per cent of the respondents said their employers did not perform an audit or review of documents before the employee headed out the door and 24 per cent said they still had access to the corporate network after leaving the building.
The survey was commissioned by Symantec
