Tue, January 29th, 2013 - 3:29 pm - By Gordon Basichis
Employee theft is on the increase. So is industrial espionage conducted by employees. Cyber theft is but one component where valuable data is accessed and stolen.
It is no joke for a business to lose its proprietary data and the information it depends upon. Now policing cybertheft could be made a little bit easier as as the court revived a lawsuit a Denver chemical company brought against one of its employees. Allegedly, the employee stole proprietary data through his home computer.
According to the article in the Denver Post…Wednesday’s decision may make it easier for U.S. companies to crack down on alleged computer theft that occurs in remote locations, including outside the country. In recent years, U.S. courts increasingly have dealt with cases involving downloads of corporate information by employees, both in criminal cases brought by prosecutors and civil cases filed by companies.”
Conducting background checks on new hires and current employees may help root out potential interlopers. In these cases you are not only looking for criminal records but for civil and criminal issues that while not directly related my indicate substance abuse or other tendencies toward desperate behavior. Domestic issues, incumbent with financial issues, can often be at the top of the list. The thing is, get on it early. If you wait before reviewing, then your company may be in the headlines for stories you would just as soon avoid.