Today, we are here with updates on a data breach investigation from Indonesia and news of an extremely interesting study on the correlation between mass layoffs and increasing data breaches.

Indonesia's tax agency is investigating a potential data leak involving the taxpayer identification numbers of millions of citizens, including President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, his ministers, and his two sons. This is one of the incidents in a chain of security disasters Indonesia has recently faced. Experts say that such serious incidents occur due to the government’s weak data protection.

On September 18, cybersecurity expert Teguh Aprianto shared a screenshot on social media containing the samples of national and taxpayer ID numbers of 6 million Indonesians, including Jokowi's and some of his ministers.

The tax agency has acknowledged the circulating information but has not provided specifics. Jokowi said that data breaches also happen in other countries but still urged ministries to address the issue. Teguh Aprianto warned that such leaks could lead to fraudulent attacks and expose sensitive financial data.

Meanwhile, researchers from Binghamton University, State University of New York, along with Liverpool John Moores University and Vietnam National University, have been exploring how mass layoffs and data breaches could be connected. Their theory is the following: the prevailing sense of dissatisfaction among laid-off employees leads to risky behavior that increases the company's vulnerability to data breaches. The research is currently in progress, and the academics set out to establish whether:

• There is a demonstrable link between the disclosure of layoffs and the cybersecurity breach
• The level of layoffs is related to the severity of the breach
• Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has a mitigating effect

While we are looking forward to the results, it is worth mentioning that employees cause leaks not only out of anger or revenge. Accidental clicks or lack of awareness can also be behind data breaches. That is why it is crucial to implement advanced tech tools protecting against all sorts of insider threats, including a human factor.

If purchasing expensive software and hardware or hiring a security specialist is not feasible for you, consider opting for a managed security service to keep your data secure. Click the link and get your 30-day trial to decide if it is a perfect fit for your business.