Security threats created by ex-workers, poll suggests

Posted by Jessie Richards

Former employees could represent a significant threat to IT security, it has been suggested.

Research conducted by the security division of Bell Micro found that 67 per cent of companies believe that the harsh economic climate and resultant redundancies are increasingly the security threats created by former workers.

However, 92 per cent of organisations admitted that they have failed to fully block access to their IT networks by ex-employees.

The poll also found that 34 per cent of firms think they have 'very good' processes for removing former workers' details, while four per cent do not have any kind of procedure in place for this.

Ed Callacher, security divisional director at Bell Micro, commented: "These findings clearly show that there is still a need to educate the market, which presents an opportunity to broaden security offerings."

Last month, a survey by Cyber-Ark suggested that employees are increasingly willing to steal corporate data when they are moving companies.