How Employees Cause IT Security Problems

Did you know employees can be a huge security threat! Seriously! Whether they mean it or not, unsafe online behaviors can cause major problems.

Most employees want to protect the company from threats, but unknowingly take part in security breaches without realizing it.

Even if your employees are trained well, it doesn’t guarantee they will follow through with desired online behavior. Sometimes this happens because guidelines and policies frequently change or they may not fully grasp the consequences of careless online behavior.

Your team members may even feel like they don't have enough time to be cautious. Even your most conscientious employees can be duped by a crafty hacker.

Your job is to set your team up for success. Do you have any of these potential weak spots that could cause security problems?

1) Weak Passwords

Despite educating your employees about password strength and memorization techniques, inevitably you will still have employees who commit password no-nos.

Team members are inviting easy access to your company's most sensitive information by using weak or repeating passwords. One way to combat this problem is to implement strong password policies such as changing passwords every 3 months and minimum password requirements such as length, characters, etc.

(Psst! Email encryption is another great way to add an extra layer of defense.)

2) Unsafe Downloads

Your employees are going to click on things they shouldn’t. We all do!

Even your most cautious team members can be tricked into opening what looks like a helpful app or extension from a website! They may download a file they thought was from a coworker or a link sent by their department head.

Cybercriminals are creative in tricking their targets. We encourage you to educate your employees on how to spot suspicious online activity, but it's not the complete solution. Use virus scanners, spam filters, email blocking, regularly backup your data, and block network access when necessary.

Whew. That sounds like a laundry list of things to do, but just pick 2-3 and start somewhere! 

3) Unnecessary Access

We understand how much easier it is to share access to everything with everyone on a team. Consider exclusively sharing relevant systems and data with people based on their position.

Otherwise, you're running the risk of folks accidentally viewing, copying, sharing, or deleting sensitive information that they are not authorized to have in the first place.

When this happens, your employees can unknowingly put your assets at risk. By prioritizing who needs access to what, you limit opportunities for accidents to happen.

“To err is human..."

Some things are out of your control, but that doesn’t mean you're powerless. Take a proactive approach to your security!

Plan ahead for those unavoidable security slip-ups... because they will happen.

Our security solutions can help you:

• Perform security education,

• Fix access controls, or

• Set up encryption!

We will identify what you need and help you avoid unnecessary security measures. Contact Don for a free consultation!