Data Breach Due to Peer-to-Peer Software Reveals Numerous Congressional Ethics Inquiries
The Washington Post is reporting another inadvertent disclosure of sensitive information involving "peer-to-peer" or "P2P" technology. This time, the disclosure exposed a House Ethics Committee document outlining ongoing ethics investigations for an uncomfortably large number of House members. The same technology raises serious issues for employers.
According to the Washington Post, the now-terminated, junior committee staff member saved a copy of the document summarizing the ethics investigations to her personal computer where her peer-to-peer file-sharing software allowed it to be shared.
Besides the difficult political questions that are sure to follow, this incident makes clear that strong data security requires more than a strong firewall and encryption. Administrative policies, training and vigilance are essential, particularly where working remotely and from home is the norm.
