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The Human Side of Data Security

By Ryan Sulkin
October 30, 2006

As headlines continue to report data security breaches at an alarming rate, discussion often focuses on the need for enhanced technical controls, such as two-factor authentication and encryption, to protect sensitive, personally identifiable information. The role of the company employee, both as the cause of, and the first line of defense against, security breaches is often lost in the analysis. Yet developing law is increasingly requiring administrative or procedural controls, particularly those directed at employees, as a component of a legally compliant security program.

Employees can be the source of major threats to a company's data security. They need not be bad actors in order to compromise their company's data security. Often it is the innocent actions of employees (eg, losing a laptop with key data unprotected or succumbing to a third party's social engineering techniques) that leave a company facing a breach situation. At the same time, employees are key to a company's successful compliance with various legal and administrative requirements involving data security.

A recent survey of the IT departments in 461 U.S. organizations conducted by the Ponemon Institute reported that the average annual cost of managing insider threats to data security is $3.4 million per organization. Further, more than 78% of respondents reported one or more unreported insider-related security breaches within their company. Latest Ponemon Institute Study Ties Lack of Awareness in Corner Office to Insider Threat Challenges, available at www.arcsight.com/solutions_insider_threat.htm, Sept. 12, 2006.

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