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Don’t do this: 10 employee security mistakes | January 26, 2009
By Peter Wolchak
Companies worried about the loss of corporate information should know that their own employees are the biggest threat, according to a worldwide study from Cisco.
The 10 things employees should never do include:
1. Alter security settings: one in five employees changed security settings on work PCs so they could access unauthorized Web sites.
2. Use unauthorized applications: 70 per cent of employees access unauthorized applications and Web sites, such as those for social media, music downloads or online shopping, leading to many data breaches.
3. Access unauthorized networks or facilities: two of five IT pros had to deal with employees accessing unauthorized parts of a network or facility. This was most prevalent in China.
4. Share sensitive corporate information: 24 per cent of employees admitted verbally sharing sensitive information with non-employees. When asked why, common answers included, “I needed to bounce an idea off someone,” “I needed to vent” and “I did not see anything wrong with it.”
5. Share corporate devices: almost half of the employees surveyed share work devices with others, including non-employees.
6. Mix work and personal devices or communications: almost 66 per cent of employees use work computers daily for personal use, and half use personal e-mail to reach customers and colleagues.
7. Leave devices out in the open: at least one in three respondents leave computers logged on and unlocked when they’re away. They also leave laptops on desks overnight, sometimes without logging off.
8. Reveal logins and passwords: one in five employees store system logins and passwords on their computers or write them down and leave them on their desk, in unlocked cabinets or pasted to computers.
9. Tote around company data: 22 per cent of employees carry corporate data on portable storage devices outside the office.
10. Let strangers in: 13 per cent worldwide allow non-employees to roam around offices and 18 per cent have let unknown people tailgate through locked doors.
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Companies worried about the loss of corporate information should know that their own employees are the biggest threat, according to a worldwide study from Cisco.
The 10 things employees should never do include:
1. Alter security settings: one in five employees changed security settings on work PCs so they could access unauthorized Web sites.
2. Use unauthorized applications: 70 per cent of employees access unauthorized applications and Web sites, such as those for social media, music downloads or online shopping, leading to many data breaches.
3. Access unauthorized networks or facilities: two of five IT pros had to deal with employees accessing unauthorized parts of a network or facility. This was most prevalent in China.
4. Share sensitive corporate information: 24 per cent of employees admitted verbally sharing sensitive information with non-employees. When asked why, common answers included, “I needed to bounce an idea off someone,” “I needed to vent” and “I did not see anything wrong with it.”
5. Share corporate devices: almost half of the employees surveyed share work devices with others, including non-employees.
6. Mix work and personal devices or communications: almost 66 per cent of employees use work computers daily for personal use, and half use personal e-mail to reach customers and colleagues.
7. Leave devices out in the open: at least one in three respondents leave computers logged on and unlocked when they’re away. They also leave laptops on desks overnight, sometimes without logging off.
8. Reveal logins and passwords: one in five employees store system logins and passwords on their computers or write them down and leave them on their desk, in unlocked cabinets or pasted to computers.
9. Tote around company data: 22 per cent of employees carry corporate data on portable storage devices outside the office.
10. Let strangers in: 13 per cent worldwide allow non-employees to roam around offices and 18 per cent have let unknown people tailgate through locked doors.
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