Webmail boon for information thieves

Huge webmail storage offers will just offer information thieves a larger swag bag, according to computer forensics specialist ibas.

The classic target for information thieves is the sales database. And until now, it was just too big to slip out in an email. With 1GB storage now available from Google, Yahoo! and Lycos et al, and larger mailboxes promised, the swag bag for any would-be thieves is getting big enough to make it all much easier.

Chris Watson, senior forensic investigator at ibas, said: "It's just an extension of the 'I've been here for 10 years, nobody will mind if I take a few pencils or a packet of stationery or the manual, etc. In the email age, it's easier to slip out what you want."

When it goes to court, this sort of material is IP (intellectual property), which sounds a bit mundane when you still have it, but it's all your contact details, your manuals, your procedures and policies – the basis of your business.

Watson said: "The information belongs to the company. But if you've spent years building it up, you think you have a bit of ownership too. And if you're moving on, or setting up your own company – well, there's no point in writing all this out again – it's already here.

"Earlier this year, we found that the majority of people used email to take information away. Now that there's no size limitation, people don't have to be selective – they can take the whole database. If there's a terabyte of space out there, some day, someone will try it. The system might fall down, but they'll still try it."

Needless to say, ibas is warning companies to start reviewing their internal procedures – especially those relating to emails and internet usage.

"All procedures need to be tightened up. You especially need robust monitoring on your network or you could find huge chunks of data whizzing out on it," said Watson.