Inadvertent Disclosure - Information Leaks in the Extended Enterprise

Inadvertent disclosure of sensitive business information represents one the largest classes of recent security breaches. We examine a specific instance of this problem – inadvertent disclosures through peer-to-peer file sharing networks. We characterize the extent of the security problem for a group of large financial institutions using a direct analysis of leaked documents. We also characterize the threat of loss by examining search patterns in peer-topeer networks. Our analysis demonstrates both a substantial threat and vulnerability for large financial firms. We find a statistically significant link between leakage and firm employment base.