Cyber-deviance in the workplace can be defined by any behavior that goes against the company’s norms. It ranges in degrees of severity and also who has been impacted. Deviance in the workplace has been a prevalent issue. It was not created by new technologies; however, technologies have exacerbated deviant behavior at work. Cyber technologies like the internet have opened the door for endless possibilities. Technology has increased productivity for businesses by having vast amounts of information at the edge of our fingertips. Companies and organizations hold databases filled with sensitive information. And to no surprise, these databases look like sweet honeypots for anyone wanting to steal or misuse the collected information. Under the right circumstances, a disgruntled employee having daily accesses to a vault-like such can increase the likelihood of deviant behavior. They may find themselves wanting revenge by using sensitive data to infiltrate those deviant desires. They can wreak havoc by theft or sabotaging the business’ properties. Unfortunately, the technology that helps businesses be more productive has a double-edged sword by creating a new accessible pathway to cause harm and destruction.
As cybersecurity is a technology issue, professionals in the field have realized it is also exceedingly a human issue. With any form of technology- it is neither categorized as good, bad, moral, or immoral, but how the technology is being used. In the equation of technology, humans are the common error when it comes to cyber-deviance. To tackle cyber-deviance in the workplace, an understanding of the antecedent (the event that happens before the behavior) must be comprehended. Understanding the problem in that context of cause and effect can shed new light on a circumstance that, at first, seemed to be a technical issue.
As long as humans are humans, work-related deviance will always be prevalent, however, magnifying the issue and analyzing why these undesirable behaviors happen in the first place can ultimately decrease the occurrences. Peeling back the multiple layers of the whys (the human errors) instead of the hows (the technical errors) can give professionals new insight to better address the cybersecurity issue –more specifically, the human issue.