Looking to the future.

January 2016 Network Security 17 There has been a significant rise in the number of cases involving IP theft and cyber-leakage – where confidential data mysteriously makes its way to rivals – often just before or after one or more employees change firms. These have been conducted more and more using supposedly safe mechanisms of online chat, cloud storage or web-based email – but (thankfully) with little knowledge of the digital traces that are left on the various devices involved. In cases where there is less determined ‘cyber-savviness’ involved on behalf of the alleged miscreants, then the very same dramatic changes in technology are opening up very rapid routes through investigations. Each new mobile phone and tablet really wants to be helpful to its new owner – automatically synchronising data across all devices and creating back-ups in the cloud. Changes in legislation are helping: the data may be encrypted and protected from other users – but a court order to the hosting provider or indeed a criminal charge to the device owner of failing to provide access to the material will result in cooperation (or incarceration) at some level.