Proofpoint, a leading cybersecurity and compliance company, has released its inaugural Data Loss Landscape report, which explores how current approaches to data loss prevention (DLP) and insider threats are holding up against current macro challenges such as data proliferation, sophisticated threat actors and Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI).
The findings reveal that data loss is a problem stemming from the interaction between humans and machines – ‘careless users’ are much more likely to cause those incidents than compromised or misconfigured systems.
While organisations are investing in DLP solutions, Proofpoint’s report shows that those investments are often inadequate, with 73% of surveyed organisations in the UK experiencing at least one data loss incident in the past year. More than eight-in-10 (86%) of those affected faced a negative outcome such as business disruption and revenue loss (reported by 57% of affected organisations) or reputational damage (43%).
“This research illuminates the most critical aspect of the data loss problem: its human causes,” said Ryan Kalember, Chief Strategy Officer, Proofpoint. “Careless, compromised, and malicious users are and will continue to be responsible for the vast majority of incidents, all while GenAI tools are absorbing common tasks – and gaining access to confidential data in the process. Organisations need to rethink their DLP strategies to address the underlying cause of data-loss – people’s actions – so they can detect, investigate and respond to threats across all channels their employees are using including cloud, endpoint, email and web.”
The 2024 Data Loss Landscape report examines third-party survey responses from 600 security professionals at organisations with 1,000 or more employees across 17 industries from 12 countries. These insights were supplemented with data from Proofpoint’s Information Protection platform and Tessian, which Proofpoint acquired last year, to convey the scale of the data loss and insider threats that organisations face.
UK specific findings show how cybersecurity practices can vary by region.
Data loss is a widespread yet preventable problem
Organisations experienced the equivalent of more than one incident per month (a mean of 16 data loss incidents per UK organisation in the past year), and 82% of respondents said the main cause was careless users. Carelessness includes misdirecting emails, visiting phishing sites, installing unauthorised software and emailing sensitive data to a personal account. These all-preventable behaviours that could be mitigated with practices such as implementing data loss prevention policy rules for email, web uploads, cloud file synching and other common data exfiltration methods.
Misdirected email is one of the simplest and most significant sources of data loss
According to 2023 data from Tessian, about one-third of employees sent one or two emails to the wrong recipient. That means a business of 5,000 employees can expect to deal with around 3,400 misdirected emails per year. A misdirected email containing employee, customer or patient data can potentially trigger a significant fine under GDPR and other legal frameworks.
Generative AI is the fastest growing area of concern: tools such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, Bing Chat and Google Gemini are increasing in power and utility, and more users are inputting sensitive data into these applications. ‘Browsing GenAI sites’ has become one of the top five DLP and insider threat alert rules configured by organisations using Proofpoint’s Information Protection platform.
Consequences of malicious actions can be costly
Just over one-fifth (21%) of UK respondents said malicious insiders such as employees or contractors were behind data loss incidents. Malicious actions and departing employees who seek to harm the organisation can have even greater implications than careless insiders because these individuals are motivated by personal gains.
Departing employees were identified as the third riskiest user category (34%)
Departing employees do not always think they are acting maliciously – some simply feel entitled to leave with information they have produced. Proofpoint data shows that 87% of anomalous file exfiltration among cloud tenants over a nine-month period was caused by departing employees, underscoring the need for preventative strategies such as implementing a security review process for this user category.
Privileged users are the riskiest
Two-thirds (66%) of UK respondents identified employees with access to sensitive data, such as HR and finance professionals, as representing the greatest risk of data loss. Additionally, Proofpoint data shows that 1% of users are responsible for 88% of data loss events. These findings indicate that organisations must prioritise best practices such as using data classification to identify and protect business-critical data and the ‘crown jewels’, as well as monitoring people with access to sensitive data or admin privileges.
Organisations’ data loss prevention programs are maturing
Many DLP programs in the UK are initially implemented in response to legal regulations, with more than half (56%) of survey participants citing meeting regulatory compliance standards as the primary driver. Protecting the company’s reputation and protection of customer and employee privacy came in second (both at 46%).
“Emerging channels underscore the importance of regularly reviewing DLP programs, as these types of rapid developments change user behaviours,” said Carl Leonard, EMEA Cybersecurity Strategy, Proofpoint. “Strategies such as implementing purpose-built DLP platforms can help advance security programs by enabling security teams to gain full user and data visibility into all incidents and address the full spectrum of human-centric data loss scenarios.
“Additionally, while DLP programs are essential, cyber awareness training is equally crucial,” Leonard added. “It serves as a constant reminder to employees that their actions matter and carelessness can have severe consequences, including reputational damage and financial losses.”
