Profile of a Trade Secret Thief? 37 Years Old, Male and Probably a Programmer or Engineer

Online e-zine computing.co.uk is reporting that Symantec has come out with another survey/report that reveals something new - the average trade secret data thief is 37 years old, male and probably either a programmer or engineer.

The piece notes: "According to Symantec's research, nearly two-thirds of those that commit IP theft will already have another job lined up. Three-quarters of insider thefts involve data the thief has authorisation to access. Typically IP thieves target trade secrets, business information such as billing details and price lists, source code, proprietary software, and business plans."

We are going to keep our eyes peeled for the Symantec report. One wonders what definition of "IP theft" they are working with - there are lots of examples of employees copying data on the way out the door but it certainly does not always constitute "IP theft." We also thought we'd post about this one because we've always liked the way the British spell "authorisation."