THERE are four main reasons why data leaks out, says Mr Wong Onn Chee.
These are:

1. Web servers that are infected with malware, or malicious software, that siphons off information from the server.

2. Vulnerabilities in Web applications, such as poorly written applications, that have few or no safeguards to prevent information from being accessed by unauthorised persons.

3. Misconfigured Web servers which reveal more information than necessary.

4. Sensitive information stored on Web servers without access control.

Data leakage arising from infected Web servers and vulnerable applications could prove costly to prevent, said IT specialists. Their estimates were from $10,000 upwards.

Rectifying misconfigured Web servers and implementing access controls could be done by the system administrator.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.