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IT security expert warns of the enemy within

A leading computer expert has revealed IT systems are exposed to more damage and danger from employees in comparison to cyber crooks.

Companies are increasingly spending fortunes every year in securing their networks to protect their data but employee action inadvertently renders their efforts void, reports Silicon Republic.

Such actions range from losing appliances such as computers or iPhones with company data to moving around with unencrypted devices which makes it easy for hackers to access vital company information.

Rene Hamel, an expert on forensics at KPMG, said: "The amount of damage caused to businesses by employees not securing information or devices is hard to quantify because fear of adverse publicity means incidents are rarely disclosed."

And the latest smaller tech devices such as the iPhone and Blackberry have been pinpointed as posing even greater danger due to their data capacity, up to 16GB, and their size, which make them easy to lose.

Some organisations have reportedly banned the use of the appliances in a bid to prevent data breaches.

Chris Winn, strategic security adviser at Microsoft last month urged companies to focus on educating employees on security issues.

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