The InfoWatch analytical center has published its results for 2006 presenting the first global survey of internal information security (IS) breaches. The database contains nearly 500 entries, 145 of which were added during 2006. The results of the survey naturally supplement the conclusions of the wide scale survey Internal IT Threats in Europe 2006 in which InfoWatch questioned more than 400 European organizations. However, unlike the latter project, Global Leakage Survey 2006 identifies tendencies in the development of internal threats of IS and how they happen.
Key conclusions For the most part, it is businesses that suffer from leaks of confidential information. According to the survey, 66% of internal breaches occurred in private companies. Moreover, businesses carry the main burden of loss caused by such leaks since a company’s competitiveness depends on its reputation, and reputation is the first thing to suffer in the event of an information leak. In 2006, a vast number of people suffered from information leaks. Just 150 breaches exposed 80 million people to identity theft. Many of them are now at risk of becoming victims of swindlers, losing all their savings, or having their credit history ruined forever. Every leak of personal information causes million-dollar losses.