The Weakest Link in Your Cybersecurity Plan: Your Employees

Businesses large and small are keenly aware of the need for enhanced IT security to protect their organizations against the threat of cybercrime. They do their best to avoid data breaches, especially considering that it could take more than 190 days to even determine that a breach has occurred, according to the Ponemon Institute.

Little do they realize that the data threat they face isn’t a virus that inched its way through a spam filter or a faulty firewall. Employees are the real data breach threat most IT security departments face.

2 Ways Employees Pose a Threat to Data Security

While one might immediately think of an employee committing malicious acts against the company, most employee data threats are accidental and wholly unintentional. They typically come from a limited understanding of IT security or a simple lapse in judgment, usually related to one of these two things:

1. Opening an Unknown Email Attachment

Unless expected, email attachments should be a red flag for most users. Moreso if the attachment comes from an unknown source. Attachments may carry viruses or malware that can destroy or steal information.

2. Pretexting or Phishing

Without thinking, an employee could provide a hacker with information that would allow the hacker to access the network. If he gains access, he could steal data or damage networks. To avoid these pitfalls, educate employees about IT security. It could save your company millions.