Customer information was the most common type of data to be compromised in UK businesses
Three-quarters (75%) of UK organisations experienced data loss in 2010, a little lower than the global average of 77%, according to a survey conducted by Check Point and Ponemon Institute.
The survey ‘Understanding Security Complexity in 21st Century IT Environments’ revealed that customer information was the most common type of data to be compromised in UK businesses at 52%. Intellectual property (36%), employee information (36%) and consumer information (35%) were the other top stolen data.
In addition, with the adoption of Web 2.0 apps and more mobile devices connecting to the network, organisations are challenged with enforcing better data security and IT Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) requirements.
According to the survey of approximately 450 IT security administrators in the UK, the primary cause for data loss was from lost or stolen equipment, cited by 35% of the UK respondents.
Network attacks accounted for a quarter, followed by Web 2.0 and file-sharing applications (22%), and unencrypted USB or media storage devices (19%).
The survey showed that more than half (53%) of UK respondents believe their employees have little or no awareness about data security, compliance and policies, with only 19% reporting high awareness of these issues – the third lowest of the five countries surveyed (UK, USA, France, Japan, Australia).
Check Point Software Technologies network security products vice-president Oded Gonda said data security and compliance are often at the top of the CISO’s list.
"However, if you look at the drivers for data loss, the majority of incidents are unintentional," Gonda said.
"In order to move data loss from detection to prevention, businesses should consider integrating more user awareness and establish the appropriate processes to gain more visibility and control of information assets."
