Experts explained how and where confidential company data leaks

Despite the development of security tools, the number of leaks of confidential information of companies and individuals is not decreasing. At the same time, organizations are reluctant to report such incidents trying to hide the amount of damage caused. 

A survey of the financial, industrial, retail and IT segments showed that 35% of leaks are due to photographing and screen screenshots, 13% of employees make physical copies of documents, 30% of leaks are made in text format via messengers, e-mail and social networks.

According to the survey, the majority (76%) of organizations are aware of leaks and are trying to investigate them, 21% of companies do not have the opportunity to find insiders, and 17% do not even track such incidents.

The developer of DeviceLock DLP reported that at the moment, insider leaks are the most common cause of corporate data leaks. About 70% of all leaks occur due to the fault of unscrupulous employees. Then there are hacker attacks (about 15%) and negligence in storing and destroying data (about 15%).

Cybersecurity expert Sergey Vakulin believes that information is often leaked due to the absent-mindedness of employees.

So, US Congressman Mo Brooks accidentally posted a username and password from his mail on a social network. The politician posted a tweet with a photo of his computer attached. The photo showed a sticker glued to the monitor, on which users saw the pin code and password from the mail. Notably, Brooks is a member of the cybersecurity subcommittee.

Another serious problem is the leakage of personal data. According to experts, former and current law enforcement officers often agree to this illegal business. The passport data of an ordinary person costs around 2-3 thousand rubles ($30-40).

It is quite difficult to deal with leaks. In March 2021, Roskomnadzor blocked several Telegram channels that sold personal data. However, their closure did not have any impact on the personal data trading market.

“Nothing has changed in the work of closed forums and darknet sites. In addition, new channels are constantly emerging in place of the closed Telegram channels,” the expert noted.