Insiders Responsible for 60% of Data Leaks in Russia

In 2020, 91% of Russian companies have already experienced leaks of customer databases, financial documents, or employee data. In the vast majority of cases, the information was leaked due to the actions of the employees themselves. Of these incidents, 60% were the result of intentional actions, while the rest were caused by carelessness or failure to follow basic security rules.

These figures were reported by Forbes, citing research conducted by SearchInform, a company specializing in information security solutions and data leak prevention software. The article also notes that, according to Kaspersky Lab, 52% of companies worldwide consider insider threats to be the main security risk. In Russia, Group-IB found this number to be even higher—88%. For small businesses in Russia, Kaspersky estimates that a data leak costs an average of 1.9 million rubles.

What Data Is Leaked and Why?

Journalists conducted their own investigation to find out what types of data are lost due to insiders, what consequences they face, and how to combat such leaks. Elena Molchanova, a representative of the Kaspersky Security Awareness platform, described the situation with employee negligence in Russian companies in her comment to Forbes:

“Due to carelessness and low digital literacy, employees click on phishing links, use unsafe passwords, and try to deal with ransomware viruses on their own—for example, by paying extortionists for decryption keys, which they usually never receive anyway.”

How to Prevent Data Leaks

Preventing accidental leaks is straightforward—training and regularly updated antivirus software are key. It is much harder to stop intentional leaks motivated by extra income or the desire to impress a potential employer during a job change.

Standard monitoring technologies such as DLP (Data Loss Prevention) and SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) help identify the source of such leaks. Information security departments usually respond quickly to anomalies detected by these systems and launch more thorough investigations.

Consequences for Employees

Employees who disclose confidential information can be fired under Article 81 of the Russian Labor Code. If the leak leads to a more serious offense—such as fraud—the perpetrator may face legal action, although employers usually prefer to handle such matters internally.