CYSE 200T: Journal Entry #6

The rise and advancement of cyber technology have created many more opportunities for workplace deviance for those who are inclined to do so for whatever their reasons may be. Motivations may be financial, political, or personal, but technology has made it much easier to perform these devious acts. First, the internet contains a plethora of information to train those who need specific skills to perform the tasks. From learning basic hacking skills to downloading previously written code or scripts that can perform specific (devious) tasks to spreading compromised files and more, employees have so many opportunities to enact a cyber security violation. All of this information is readily available to those who go looking for it.

Cyber technology has also made it possible to transfer large amounts of data about the company quickly to another location. Before, it had to be done manually on a hardware storage device of some type. This took time and was more likely to be detected. Now, large data transfers can occur very quickly through the web and cloud-based servers or through remote access software. This means that it is much easier to do large data transfers and get away with it. Another technology that has made companies more vulnerable is email. It is easy for criminals to send thousands of scam emails a day, and companies are constantly bombarded with them. It only takes one little click for a computer (and then possibly the entire network) to be compromised. Most people know to avoid this, but if anyone wants to damage their company, that would be a quick and easy way to do so.

The internet has also made it possible for employees to be specifically targeted and recruited by others to perform devious acts. They can find an employee using information that is often easily available on the internet and recruit them to their cause (perhaps through financial incentives or political ideologies) in order to get the best results from the insider. They never even have to meet the employee in person and can handle everything all through the internet from thousands of miles away. The employee may have never thought to do this on their own, but once recruited, decide to participate in the criminal acts. The advancement of cyber technology has made deviant workplace acts easier and more accessible. It is important for companies to have specific cyber security policies and practices in place to not only prevent these acts from occurring but also help reduce the effects and/or recover from a security breach if they do occur.

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