The leading driver of data leaks in Russian companies is not external intruders or malware, but gaps in IT system operations. This conclusion comes from a joint study conducted by the online recruitment platform hh.ru and the Cyberprotect team, information shared with the editorial team of socialbites.ca.
About one in four workers, 25 percent, reported experiencing data loss at work. In 45 percent of cases the cause was an IT system fault, in one third of cases (33 percent) a device or software malfunction occurred, and in a quarter of cases (25 percent) employees forgot passwords or accidentally deleted essential files. Hackers and the malware they create accounted for just 18 percent of incidents.
The survey also revealed that most companies, 58 percent, do not provide information security training. When training does occur, it is typically offered on a semi-annual or quarterly basis.
The top three protective measures to reduce data leaks are two-factor authentication, adopted by 67 percent of respondents; restricting access to personal devices and accounts, used by 63 percent; and careful handling of personal data on social networks, practiced by 62 percent.
Approximately one third, 34 percent, of respondents back up their corporate data to guard against leaks. Of these, about half, 48 percent, transfer data to external storage devices such as a hard drive or dedicated server, while the remainder rely on manual copying strategies.
These findings raise important questions about digital security practices in today’s work environments and the steps that organizations can take to prevent data loss from internal operational gaps.