Insider Attacks Double in the First Half of 2008
Security attacks caused by insiders have doubled in the last year, according to the latest report released by the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC). The Center found that almost 16 percent of breaches reported so far in 2008 were insider-born and went up from 6 percent in 2007. 11.7 percent of the attacks came from individuals outside the company, down from 14.1 percent in 2007.
According to Dark Reading, the ITRC’s data is consistent with other reports on insider incidents showing an increase of such attacks. Additionally, many experts believe that disclosure of all incidents is also on the rise, mostly due to the legal requirements put in place by many states over the last year.
Data stolen from laptops, thumb drives, and PDAs accounted for 20.2 percent of this year’s breaches so far, followed by accidental exposure by the organization (15.2 percent), and loss or theft by a subcontractor (13.5 percent).
