Companies 'putting sensitive data at risk'

News Article - 23 May 2012
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Many businesses are not following the correct procedures or implementing the best technology to protect sensitive data, it has been claimed.

Private information may be lost by a third of companies who told a study that they have no policies for the handling of sensitive details, reports IT Week.

The survey, conducted by security specialist McAfee, also found that a quarter of employees from firms which had in place measures for protecting information did not know what these procedures were.

Almost 40 per cent of respondents said that they passed on customer data to outside entities, with 45 per cent admitting to taking financial information out of the office on portable devices.

Security analyst from the firm, Greg Day, said: "What people need to remember is that although there are malicious employees, a much larger percentage aren't malicious but don't know what they're doing."

In addition, analyst firm IDC recently found that privileged passwords could provide a security threat for companies if left unchecked

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