Quarter of staff would flog company data for a Caribbean jolly

Report claims a quarter of employees would sell data for £5,000 - the price of a family jaunt to the Bahamas

A quarter of employees have admitted that they would sell company data for £5,000 – the price of a family holiday to the Bahamas, according to a new report.

The study, which surveyed 4,000 employees in the UK, Germany, US and Australia, also found three per cent would release sensitive data for as little as £100. Some 18 per cent said they would do it for £1,000.

Clearswift states that competitors and criminals see bribery as an easy way to tap into a company's information – such as credit card or patent details – as security systems become more sophisticated and effective.

Heath Davies, chief executive at Clearswift, said: "While people are generally taking security more seriously – 65 per cent of employees said they wouldn't sell data for any price – there is still a significant group of people who are willing to profit from selling something that doesn't belong to them. This information can be worth millions of pounds."

The report claims data is put at higher risk when more people have access to it. It claims 61 per cent of respondents said they had access to private customer data, 51 per cent dealt with financial data and 49 per cent could see sensitive product information, such as launch dates or patents.

Davies added: "It is not good business to live in fear of your employees, especially as most can be trusted. Getting the balance right has always been hard. But truly understanding where the problems come from, combined with advances in technology which can adapt to respond differently to different threats, really changes the game here."