58% of organizations have more than 100,000 folders open to all employees

Like a wardrobe malfunction during a live broadcast, no one wants to be overexposed – especially when it comes to your data. The surprising truth: most companies go about their...
Rachel Hunt
1 min read
Last updated January 17, 2023

Like a wardrobe malfunction during a live broadcast, no one wants to be overexposed – especially when it comes to your data.

The surprising truth: most companies go about their business blithely unaware that some of their most sensitive data is wide open. And by “some” we mean a lot. In fact, our latest research shows that 41% of organizations had at least 1,000 sensitive files open to all employees.

As we know, it only takes one leaked file to cause a headline-making data breach. We’ve seen how one unpatched server can lead to a disaster; a single “unpatched” folder filled with sensitive files can be just as disastrous — and it doesn’t take an expert or sophisticated code to exploit it.

That’s where Varonis Data Risk Assessments come in. Every year, Varonis conducts thousands of risk assessments for companies around the globe. Using the Varonis Data Security Platform (DSP), we identify where sensitive and regulated data resides, show what’s overexposed and vulnerable, and provide actionable recommendations to increase your data security posture. Think of a Data Risk Assessment as a reality check on your data – that friend who tells you you’ve got a button undone. And they’re free (but more on that later).

We examined a random sample of Data Risk Assessments to understand just how exposed companies really are when it comes to their critical data. The results are now available in Data Under Attack: 2018 Global Data Risk Report from the Varonis Data Lab.

Findings from the report include:

  • 58% of organizations have more than 100,000 folders open to all employees
  • 21% of folders were accessible to every employee
  • 41% had at least 1,000 sensitive files open to all employees
  • On average, 54% of an organization’s data was stale, which adds to storage costs and complicates data management
  • On average, 34% of user accounts are enabled, but stale, “ghost” users who still have access to files and folders
  • 46% of organizations had more than 1,000 users with passwords that never expire

2018 Global Data Risk Report

Read the full report Data Under Attack: 2018 Global Data Risk Report from the Varonis Data Lab.

Did we mention Data Risk Assessments are free?* Learn more today and request yours at https://info.varonis.com/start

*So you’re the kind of person who likes to read the fine print (so are we). Yes, they’re actually free.

What should I do now?

Below are three ways you can continue your journey to reduce data risk at your company:

1

Schedule a demo with us to see Varonis in action. We'll personalize the session to your org's data security needs and answer any questions.

2

See a sample of our Data Risk Assessment and learn the risks that could be lingering in your environment. Varonis' DRA is completely free and offers a clear path to automated remediation.

3

Follow us on LinkedIn, YouTube, and X (Twitter) for bite-sized insights on all things data security, including DSPM, threat detection, AI security, and more.

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