Unintentional Ways Employees Accidentally Leak Company Data
In today's digital world, everything is somehow interconnected. From browsing social media platforms, doing school papers, and online financial transactions to work-related tasks - everything has data to secure. Safeguarding data, most especially company's sensitive data, can be very challenging and complicated. The vulnerabilities can arise from the network system to your employees. Accidental employee exposure can lead to an unimaginable company loss if taken for granted.
Below are some ways employees can accidentally leak company data:
- Outdated systems, software, and apps: Securing and updating both personal and work-related devices must always be observed. Regular updates provide security patches and added layers of security that prevent cyber criminals from exploiting your devices' vulnerabilities.
- Using weak passwords: Weak, repeated, and shared passwords among co-workers can lead to unauthorized access to company systems and data.
- Emailing wrong recipients: Sending sensitive information to wrong recipient is very crucial as you can no longer take the email back. Employees should practice good email hygiene to avoid such mistakes.
- Use of personal email for work purposes: Mixing up your personal email with work-related information is a BIG no! no! Transferring a company's confidential data to your personal email can pose a very serious external threat and compromise security.
- Using an unsecured network: Public WiFi is the number one cause of exposed data. Doing your work under a public connection can expose your company's data to hackers due to an unsecured network.
- Lost or stolen devices: Lost or stolen laptops, smartphones, and other devices that contain company data can result in a data breach when it falls into the hands of the wrong people and worse cybercriminals. For an added security feature always lock your screens with a password.
- Unintended screen sharing: Video conferencing tools such as Zoom, Google Meet, and/or Microsoft Teams are some of the places where employees can accidentally share or exposed confidential data.
Companies should be very mindful of these accidental data exposures as they can lead to more serious problems. Providing regular employee security awareness would assist companies and building a good security culture among their employees. Paul Jackson, CEO/Cybersecurity Specialist, and the rest of his team at Jackson Technologies believe that providing the employees the help they need will be a big factor in establishing a decent cybersecurity system. We offer a variety of cybersecurity programs that will surely fit businesses of all sizes.