Workplace deviance is defined as voluntary behavior that violates significant organizational norms and in so doing threatens the well-being of an organization, its members, or both. As cybersecurity has become a more prevalent profession over the years, workplace deviance has become abundant in this type of environment.

There are multiple factors that cause this to be the case; the biggest factor is that the profession often takes place behind a screen, leaving people emboldened to do or say things that may not be considered acceptable. If an employee felt inclined, they could download, distribute, or sell confidential data and information to an outside source such as a competitor or organization with malicious intent. An employee with proper clearance could also shut down different systems of a company leaving them vulnerable to hacking and malicious software. These types of scenarios show how detrimental workplace deviance can be in this type of profession. It would only take one unsatisfied employee to leak confidential company information and potentially ruin the company.

Another issue that causes workplace deviance is that it is much harder to catch an employee in the act of committing cybercrime than say a Mcdonalds’ employee caught stealing. Most cybersecurity employees are professionally trained to prevent cybercrime after all, so they know the ins and outs of what is traceable and what is not. In a situation of workplace deviance in cybersecurity, a company is often at the mercy of the employee. Often, the only thing keeping companies’ data confidential is a confidentiality agreement between the employer and employee. It is often difficult to trace a leak back to its source if the one who did the leaking is knowledgeable or has inside information. These factors all add together to create an environment where workplace deviance is more common than in many other professions.