How has cyber technology created opportunities for workplace deviance?

Over the last few decades, major advancements have been made in technology, and as a direct result, cybercrime has developed into a challenging and consistent issue among society. Cyber attacks directed towards businesses have increased tremendously over the years, and even large scale corporations like Target have been at the forefront of these attacks, having lost over $200 million dollars in 2013 as a result of a data breach. (“Better Cybersecurity Starts with Fixing Your Employees’ Bad Habits”) While outside threats are certainly a major issue for corporations, another rising issue within companies is workplace deviance utilizing cyber technology. An example of this could be a company not implementing processes such as access control, which could potentially give access to certain types of data that are not meant to be seen by all users. This could lead to a disaster if an employee is fired, and as a result leaks sensitive information that could be detrimental to a company or organization. A popular example could be found in hospitals, where thousands of patients have sensitive data kept in their medical records that should only be accessed by certain individuals. If a disgruntled employee were to gain access to these records, they could exploit them and gain information such as social security numbers and addresses. Another example regarding access could be a service member with a top-secret or SCI clearance selling sensitive documents or information to an opposing country such as China or Russia. Another less extreme example of cyber deviance could be browsing the internet on websites such as Amazon, Facebook, or Twitter at work, which could limit the production from employees engaging in internet browsing. These forms of carelessness and complacency from employees could also turn into bigger issues, such as phishing scams and other forms of cyber attacks. Companies who experience these issues could setup firewalls to restrict access to certain sites. These forms of carelessness and complacency from employees could also turn into bigger issues, such as phishing scams and other forms of cyber attacks. With all things considered, it is extremely crucial that corporations take measures to do everything in their power to combat not only outside threats, but insider threats at well.

Works Cited:

“Better Cybersecurity Starts with Fixing Your Employees’ Bad Habits.” Harvard Business Review, 11 Dec. 2017, hbr.org/2017/12/better-cybersecurity-starts-with-fixing-your-employees-bad-habits.