According to reports, current and ex-employees are the most frequently cited perpetrators of occupational fraud, cyber, and security incidents over the past 12 months.

See below 5 vulnerable areas within a workplace where employees are most likely to make mistakes – and what you can do to help stop them :

1. DESKS: An unattended and untidy desk with confidential information left in full sight is an enormous security risk.  Information thieves can steal documents or take pictures with their phone.

How to protect yourselves: 

• Implement a Clear desk policy, this helps ensure that important documents are not left out for the world to see, and also ensures that employees clear their desks at the end of every day.
• You could also follow SDR’s lead, and introduce No Phones in the workplace – this guarantees no photos of any confidential information are going to find their way into the outside world.

2. PRINTERS:  Studies show paper documents are most at risk when initially printed and left in a communal office print tray.

How to protect yourselves: 

• A good strategy is to create a best practice standard for printing confidential information, never leave documents unattended at a print station, and ensure that your printers have password protection.

3. INFORMATION DISPOSAL:  Throwing confidential information into open waste bins can be a huge risk.

How to protect yourselves:

• Partner with a reliable Document Destruction Company that can assure a secure chain of custody and provides lockable consoles for storing data before secure shredding.
• Implement a shred all policy,so that all paper is shredded at the end of its useful life.

4. IT DEVICES: Electronic devices are becoming more and more portable, making it easy to remove confidential data from the office.

How to protect yourselves:

• Limit and control what information is removed.
• Only allow authorised devices within the office, and don’t allow unnecessary data movement.

5. OUTSIDE OF THE OFFICE: While smart phones and other mobile devices offer the freedom for employees to work at home, there is an increased security risk due to loss and theft.

How to protect yourselves:

• Create a Mobile Workforce Policy.
• Provide security awareness training; making your employees aware of best practices.