The Coronavirus crisis has left employers particularly exposed to more fraud and data breaches because there will be more staff leaving and many employees feeling increasingly aggrieved and angry towards their current/former employers

Around 14% of people claim that over the past five years, using technology provided by their employers, they have been able to access data at work they were not authorised to see. 

The findings are from DSA Connect, an IT asset disposal company that specialises in the permanent deletion and destruction of electronic data, which says this huge risk around the security of a data held on employers systems could leave them particularly exposed to more fraud and data breaches during the Coronavirus crisis. 

This is because employers are set to reduce workforces to save costs, which will leave many employees feeling increasingly aggrieved and angry towards their current and former employers. In turn this will increase the chances of malicious activity around data breaches caused by disaffected employees.

In terms of specifics around what employees saw that they should not have had access to, 7% said it was the salaries of their managers/colleagues; 6% said private correspondence between their employers and clients; while 4% have seen personal financial details of clients and/or colleagues. Some 5% have also seen private photos belonging to someone else, and 3% have seen health records of third parties.  

Type of confidential data seen by employees over the past five years that they should not have had access to and percentage of workers who have viewed.

  • Personal addresses of clients - 8%
  • Salaries of bosses/colleagues - 7%
  • Private Correspondence between your employer and third parties - 6%
  • Private addresses of bosses and colleagues - 6%
  • Private photos - 5%
  • Financial details clients/bosses/colleagues - 4%
  • Health records of third parties - 3%

Harry Benham, Chairman of DSA Connect said: "Our findings suggest many employers have serious lapses in their data security provision, leaving themselves open to various potential data breaches. The cost of these can run into tens of thousands of pounds in the form of fines and lost business. It can also cause huge damage to an organisation's reputation and brand if news of a data breach becomes known."

DSA Connect is an IT asset disposal specialist. It specialises in the erasure and destruction of electronic data using tools certified by CESG and approved by the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). It ensures that all data storage media and equipment is removed from a client's premises and transported to its secure facility in unmarked, tracked vehicles.

For more information on secure disposal of IT assets visit DSA Connect, established in 2011 to partner the Ministry of Defence in developing the MoD's asset disposal service.