T 5.29 Unauthorised copying of data media

When data media are exchanged or transported, this may mean under some circumstances that the information to be transferred is transported from a secure environment over an insecure transport route to a possibly insecure environment at the receiving end. In such cases, it may be possible for unauthorised persons to copy this information more easily in this environment than in the original environment.

Due to the large concentration of information worthy of protection on the data media typically found in electronic archives (e.g. personal or confidential company data), electronic archives are a particularly attractive target for theft or copying by unauthorised persons.

Example:

• Confidential development results are to be transported from a development laboratory in town X to a production site in town Y. If the data media are mailed without any supervision or controls, it may be possible for the information stored on them to be copied illegally and perhaps sold to a competitor without the company even noticing that this information has been disclosed.