Survey: insider snooping on the rise.

• Position: INFO TECHNOLOGY - Survey

In June 2008, Cyber-Ark found 33% of IT staff used their administrative access to snoop in networks and view privileged corporate data, including human resources records, customer databases, and merger and acquisition (M&A) plans. The 2009, third-annual 'Trust, Security & Passwords" survey reveals an uptick in this activity.

According to the 2009 survey, 35% of IT workers polled admitted to accessing corporate information without permission. Seventy-four percent were able to get around controls to protect sensitive data to do so.

Cyber-Ark's "Trust, Security & Passwords" is a global survey of more than 400 senior IT professionals in the United States and United Kingdom, mainly from enterprise-class companies. In the current recession, the 2009 survey found a definite increase in the number of respondents who said they would take proprietary data and information critical to maintaining competitive advantage and corporate security.

When asked, "What would you take with you if fired," this year, the survey revealed a six-fold increase in IT staff who said they would take financial reports or M&A plans--and a...