Once again the thorny issue of data stick (flash drive) security has raised its ugly head in the UK. Recently, a contractor which lost a data stick containing details of thousands of convicted prisoners was punished by the resultant loss of a $3 million contract. A further $16 million of contracts is under review. See:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7608155.stm
There are some undeniable truths in the issue of data stick insecurity, which expose companies to potentially serious reputation damage, expensive lawsuits and possibly heavy fines. Some of the key points are as follows:
1. Over 50% of companies take no measures to protect against data stick misuse, despite a suite of technical and procedural measures being readily available.
2. Companies typically hold two types of sensitive information: proprietary information and personal private information. Loss of the former could lead to loss of competitive edge. Loss of the latter could lead to public humiliation and ID theft.
3. Few companies encrypt data sticks as standard, despite such encryption being readily available – and free. This, however, is a two-edged sword. If an employee secretes stolen information on an encrypted data stick you will not be able to access the information to prove that it is there.
4. Rarely in companies is there a single point of responsibility for data stick management – this is unfortunate since it leaves the news media – or the courts – to decide the guilty party in the event of a data loss made public.
5. Many companies that entrust their sensitive data to 3rd parties do not take into account those parties’ handling of data security.
6. In the UK, according to surveys over half of all office employees admit to having stolen computer-based information from work.
7. A data stick costing less than $100 can store up to 5 million documents.
8. At least half of all computer users admit to having lost a data stick at one time or another.
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