Five business tips to combat information theft

Sep 22, 2006 2:37 PM

           

The common notion is that information theft is a crime committed by computer hackers who steal information via the Internet. The reality is that a lot of information is stolen from unsecured files and paperwork. The source of the crime is often corporations, small businesses and other organizations that hold sensitive data on file.
Sensitive data that is easily accessible is vulnerable. A lot of time, money and effort are being poured into locking up computers while old fashioned file cabinets are being left virtually wide open, says Todd Faro of Compliance Cabinets.
Faro calls on his 20 years of experience to provide five tips to keep an organization's files secure and safe from liability.
1. Don't leave files containing sensitive information lying around unattended. This is much more common than you might think in an office situation and is equal to no security at all. Any business that operates like this is wide open to lawsuits and liability for damages resulting from stolen or abused data. Lawsuits related to information misuse are one of the fastest-growing areas of litigation in the U.S.
2. Don't store the key to the file cabinet near the cabinet where everyone in the office knows the location.
3. Don't use a key-locking file cabinet that has a key code number next to the keyhole on the cabinet. Anybody, including the cleaning crew, can use that key code number to get a key made and have unlimited access to your files.
4. Don't allow unlimited unaccountable access to files during business hours when the file cabinet is unlocked. Information needs to be reasonably accessible, but only to the people who need it. Even if the information is locked up at night, that won't keep it secure if anyone can access it during business hours.
5. Don't be lulled into a false sense of security by thinking that people outside the company are the threat. In reality, employees commit the vast majority of information thefts. It is a crime of convenience and opportunity, aided and abetted by easy access to the data.

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