The leaking of confidential information, especially from government agencies and companies that handle sensitive data, is a serious issue. It can result in a loss of trust and revenue, damage to reputation, and even legal liability. It can also expose the private information of employees to potential identity theft.
The US Department of Defense is investigating a rash of classified document leaks that appear to have spread from government computers to the wider internet. The documents cover a variety of topics including foreign intelligence assessments and operational briefings. They include some on the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, with some of them appearing to have been doctored to minimise Russian losses and amplify Ukrainian ones.
People with access to classified information often feel compelled to make it public for moral or political reasons, sometimes out of a desire to embarrass their opponents or to do damage to national security. This kind of leaking is known as whistleblowing and has been the cause of some of history’s biggest public disclosures.
After a document leak, businesses must respond swiftly to limit the damage and investigate the source. They need to move with discretion, however, to avoid escalating the situation unnecessarily and to minimise any chance of alerting the leaker. This is not always easy to do. It may require a suspension of normal deletion cycles across email, cloud platforms, document repositories and print systems, for example. It may also be necessary to retain secure backups of all potentially relevant data in order to preserve evidence and reduce the risk of accidentally overwriting critical materials.
About the Author
