When confidential information is leaked, it can cause a variety of negative effects. The damage that can be done to a company, client, or individual is immense, and it can take time to mitigate the issue. However, with the right approach, you can make it easier to deal with a document leak and avoid future breaches.
In the US, one of the most famous document leaks was in 1971, when analyst Daniel Ellsberg gave a copy of classified documents to The New York Times, which published them. The papers detailed the scope of America’s involvement in the Vietnam war, and they led to a major public outcry. Ellsberg was charged with espionage but eventually had the charges dismissed and became a prominent advocate for government transparency.
More recently, images of classified US intelligence documents appeared on servers associated with the gaming community and an instant messaging platform, where they were being discussed in the context of Ukraine’s war with Russia. Among the files were documents suggesting that Ukrainian military losses had been higher than previously acknowledged, and that Kiev’s ability to resupply its frontline was at risk.
It’s important to note that the investigation into the documents began with an initial fact-finding phase, which includes gathering and reviewing the material that surfaced, determining how it came to be public, and mapping the systems, teams, or individuals most closely associated with the incident. A key part of this process involves preserving all potentially relevant information, including emails, access logs, and server activity. This typically involves suspending normal deletion cycles across email servers, cloud platforms, and document repositories.