If employers investigate computer misuse, they must do it properly, warn Hertfordshire-based computer forensic consultants DataSec.
If employers investigate computer misuse, they must do it properly, warn Hertfordshire-based computer forensic consultants DataSec. Adrian Reid, Managing Director at DataSec says: ?We investigated one incident recently, following the dismissal of an employee, where an internal investigation documented that one particular website had been accessed over 1,000 times. The forensic investigation concluded however, that the site in
question had not been visited at all. This is the difference between ?hits? being registered by a computer for innocent reasons and forensic analysis of actual surfing by the user.? He quote a recent report by Websense International that 69 per cent of employee dismissals for internet misuse relate to pornography. This coincides with a considerable increase in training for IT staff and managers that have responsibility for investigating misuse by employees, DataSec report.
Taken seriously
Adrian Reid says: ?Employers are certainly taking the issue of computer misuse more seriously. Companies are also more likely to undertake internal investigations and use their own staff to carry out the investigation. The investigator needs to know the law and the forensic processes which will ensure that their evidence is accurate, fairly obtained and defensible, if contested.? DataSec offers training courses designed for commercial managers and IT staff that need to know the legal, technical and evidential issues surrounding computer investigations in the workplace. Other concerns for companies include the protection of vital information, with reported theft of databases by departing employees on the increase. Such incidents may involve a court order to seize and recover the stolen information as companies sue for damages. Visit www.datasec.co.uk
