How has cyber technology created opportunities for workplace deviance?

Cyber security is a necessity in all businesses and should be implemented from the very start. With cyber security measures in place, companies can be more at peace knowing that they are less likely to fall victim to cyber-attacks. However, what if the attacks are coming from someone on the inside? Employees of companies, especially those who are in the technology department are exposed to a variety of different technological frameworks that are implemented in a company’s cybersecurity plan. This knowledge can be detrimental if the employee decides to be deviant one day.
Workplace deviance refers to the sabotage of a company, normally committed by a current or ex-employee. Workplace deviance can be birthed in many ways, however, the most common reason for deviance stems from an employee being terminated. An employee of a company is exposed to a lot of the companies’ data as they are considered an authorized user; so ex-employees may be able to exploit vulnerabilities to conduct espionage to sell to other companies, sabotage company data, or compromise the integrity of data by making unauthorized changes. However, it is normally harder for ex-employees to do most of these deviant acts because most companies have security measures in place to deactivate/remove the employee as an authorized user. This means that the primary way for an ex-employee to commit these acts are to exploit vulnerabilities in the company’s cybersecurity or to conduct social engineering to regain access to the companies database.
In my opinion, current employees pose the biggest threat. Current employees can fly under the radar and are perceived as any other employee. They maintain their authorized user status and are able to make well thought out/methodical plans to commit their deviant acts. Some of the deviant acts that we can expect from current employees are things such as data manipulation, theft, embezzlement, fraud, and many other deviant acts. Cyber technology has opened the door for companies to do so much more with their corporations however, it has also opened the door for employees and ex-employees to exploit confidential information in many different ways. It is important for organizations to have roles in place for all employees so that they only have access to what they need and will not be able to gain access to things that do not pertain to their job. Doing so will keep users blind to potential vulnerabilities and will minimize the amount of deviant behavior that could be committed. For example, giving bank tellers keys to the bank to open and close every shift, while keeping the keys to the safety deposit boxes in the hands of someone else will prevent tellers from going in to the safe. Companies must enforce strict ethical standards amongst their employees and business partners to prevent any deviant acts from occurring.