Guarding Against the Threat from Within
Most businesses have made sure to protect computer systems and networks from hackers. But the majority of data leaks or breaches of sensitive company information or intellectual property are often inside jobs.
You’ve installed protective software, adjusted your hardware, and developed a range of new office policies, all in the name of protecting your computer networks and systems from hackers, phishers, and scammers. Externally, your system seems protected.
But what are you doing to prevent an inside job? Do outgoing or disgruntled employees, or on-site contractors, have too much access to your company’s top-secret data?
The answer could well be yes. According to a March 2006 Enterprise Strategy Group survey of 227 IT professionals, “employees and on-site contractors were cited as the most likely threat to confidential data security.†They even outranked concerns over off-shore outsourcers and random hackers. A separate 2005 study by PriceWaterhouseCoopers found that 33 percent of all security breaches involved current employees, and another 28 percent involved former employees or former partners.
And the stakes are high: According to those surveyed, up to 50 percent of the data used in their offices could be considered confidential.
For the entire article go to Inc.com
Corra has often noted business companies spend megabucks on external security and then scrimp on the background checks that may help them weed out potential data thieves. This practice is akin to putting state of the art locks and security on the front doors and cheap locks on the servant’s entrance. This used to happen in the ritzy neighborhoods Corra once learned in an interview with a noted jewel thief who worked there.
Today, to resort to such half-hearted measures is pure folly. But this is no joke as anyone who lost important data or proprietary information can attest. When you lose valuable data you put your business at serious risk. At the very list you should have a background screening system in place for any job candidates. The obvious, a criminal check, driving reports and credit reports will often help you determine a pattern as who is most likely to steal your data and who would not.
Nothing is guaranteed of course. Disgruntled employees should come under increased scrutiny, and perhaps additional security measures should be taken. You should consider limited access to data with respect to employees who are leaving. Yes, you may appear like you are being overly suspicious, but then again in this world we live in, it is often wise to be overly suspicious.
Take the precautions necessary to keep your business intact. Don’t be victimized because someone took a payoff or became disgruntled with his working condition. And above all, check them out before your hire.
