Four Threats From Inside The Business You Have To Be Aware Of

Taking into consideration the leaks and vulnerabilities that have been brought to light over the past few years, network security is a critical priority for every organization. One problem many have is that while they are protecting their network and infrastructure from threats outside the business, there are real threats coming from the inside. Below we examine four ways threats can cause havoc from inside your business.

Usually the issues a business has with its network and infrastructure originate from the inside. There are too many ways your employees can cause a major security problem for your organization. They include:

Revenge - Resentful employees can often be a problem. This is no more evident than in its IT. If the employee is disgruntled with elements of their job, they could potentially take it out on the business in a variety of ways: deleting information, deliberately bringing malware onto your network, just being blatantly negligent to situations, and more. Furthermore, if an employee is crafty enough, they could conceivably hide their betrayal or, worse yet, access the network after they’ve left the organization.

To deal with problems like this, promptly terminating access to the network after a former employee leaves the organization is one way to mitigate issues. Constantly monitoring workstation behavior can give you a precise idea on just how these types of problems can be occur to begin with.

Trickery - Hackers know that a frontal assault on a business network is mostly impossible, so they try to get in any way they can. If your employees haven’t been sufficiently trained to decipher the telltale signs of a social engineering attack, they could put your business in a lot of danger.
Having a strategy to train your staff on the best practices of handling emails and extensions can significantly help toward keeping malware and unwanted visitors off of your network. The more they know how to protect themselves, the better they can protect your company.

Disruptive Activities - The computers that your employees use are required for productivity, sure, but they are also attached to one of the largest distractions in human history: the Internet. Since there is an endless amount of content online, sometimes viewing that content can get in the way of their productivity. Some employees will go even further, viewing content that is clearly inappropriate for work and could pick up malware along the way, putting your network in jeopardy.

Content filtering is a great option to fight this off. It gives you the opportunity to block certain websites by a per user basis. By being able to control the content that your employees can access, you can eliminate a lot of distractions, while also controlling your network against the threats third-party sites can bring.

Leaking Data - Some employees may want to take information out of the sanctity of your network. Some are simply looking to be productive outside of the office, while others may just be looking to take data for personal or professional gain. Regardless of their reason, it can be a big problem when people’s personal information is at stake.

One solution to this is hosting information in a secure cloud server with dedicated access control. Giving your employees the option to do more away from the office is a solid strategy, while preventing them from accessing information they don’t require can go a long way toward protecting that information and your network.

If you would like more information about how to reduce threats to your network and data, contact the certified professionals at Macro Systems today at 703-359-9211.