Are you leaking customer’s data without your knowledge?

In this digital age, knowingly or unknowingly, we all deal with data in our workplace. The statement mentioned above is true not only for the core data-centric companies but also for the small companies working in the non-technical industries. 

Some of the Examples of the data used in the non-IT industries:

• The front-desk workers operating in the pathological centers are working with the patients’ data, 
• The billing crews in the retail stores and other service industries are working with the debit and credit card details of the customers, 
• The financial service providers working in banks and other financial industries manage their clients’ bank and financial details on a daily basis. 

There are many other fields where ground-level workers operate with the customers’ confidential data without knowing its importance, and a single wrong step in data handling can pose a significant data threat.

Data leak: Is It a Real Threat?

Many small organizations think data security plans work only for big IT organizations in a data-centric environment. So small organizations don’t need any data security plans. But, the truth is that small organizations are equally susceptible to the data threat, and a lack of preventive measures makes the situation riskier. The Indian GDP is boosted by small to medium-sized organizations, and IT security experts think they are the easy target for cyber attackers. According to a report, more than 70% of Indian small businesses expect a cyber attack in the coming years, yet they are not prepared to face this challenge. 

Also, according to the security report published by IBM, the data leak costs $165 million on average to the Indian organizations, and this figure is almost 20% higher than the costs mentioned in its 2020 report. It seems remote working plays a vital role in the data breach in Indian organizations.

Can you create a data threat to your company?

After the incidents of Edward Snowden, we thought that a hostile and resentful ex-employee could cause the most harm to the organization’s data by intentionally leaking or damaging this. The actual scenario is more striking. Human errors and negligence can cause more damage to the data than an outsider attack. A data security report generated by a US-based firm also shows that the data risks increased during work-from-home scenarios. 

The Share-It held a survey about taking the printout of the work-related document while working from home and the disposal method after use. The following figure shows that most of the employees are not aware of the data they are dealing with:

The situation is more concerning in India as most small offices don’t hold a paper shredder, even in the office.

So how will you be sure that you are not one of the data-leakers?

The data leak can be caused in many ways, and most of them are unintentional and happen due to negligence or lack of knowledge.

• Some of the most caused actions for data leakage include:
• Not logging out from the respective office system
• Using poor password
• Sharing password by mistake
• Using outdated software and operating systems
• Lack of knowledge and awareness

Many organizations are still not aware of the threat caused by the data leakers, making them clueless about preventing such leaks.

Read our next blog to know more about the cause of data breaches and how to prevent it.