--- title: Why Employees are the Biggest Threat to Security and What You Can Do description: Learn more about how your employees could be a threat to your cybersecurity and how to keep your organization safe. image: https://blog.techboston.com/hubfs/employee%20security%20threat.png --- ### Search engine Use this form to find things you need on this site Search × [![We're better together.](https://blog.techboston.com/hubfs/Tech_Networks_of_Boston_June2018/Images/Logo_without_motto-copy-web.png)](https://techboston.com) - [About TNB](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/) - [Overview](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/) - [Annual Report](https://techboston.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2022-Benefit-Report.pdf) - [Mission](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/mission/) - [Partnerships and Affiliations](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/partnerships/) - [Certifications & Awards](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/certifications-awards/) - [Blog](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/blog/) - [Free Resources](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/resources/) - [Job Opportunities](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/careers/) - [Services](https://techboston.com/our-services/services-overview/) - [Overview](https://techboston.com/our-services/services-overview/) - [Integrated Services](https://techboston.com/our-services/integrated/) - [Managed Services](https://techboston.com/our-services/managed-services-2/) - [Project Services](https://techboston.com/our-services/project-services/) - [Case Studies](https://techboston.com/case-studies/) - [Using IT to Increase Productivity and Reduce Costs](https://techboston.com/case-studies/increase-productivity/) - [Updating Technology for Growing Needs](https://techboston.com/case-studies/updating-technology/) - [Shifting to Remote Work in the Midst of a Crisis](https://techboston.com/case-studies/remote-work/) - [Protecting Your Organization in the Wake of Cybercrime](https://techboston.com/case-studies/cybercrime/) - [Integrating Technology for Mission Driven Success](https://techboston.com/case-studies/integrated-technology-success/) - [Events](https://techboston.com/events/) - [Upcoming Events](https://techboston.com/events/) - [Past Roundtable Events](https://techboston.com/past-roundtable-events/) - [TNB’s Dialogue Series on Nonprofit Data and Evaluation](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/blog/best-practices-data-evaluation/) - [Contact Us](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/contact-us/) - [Home](https://techboston.com/) - [About Us](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/) - [2022 Annual Report](https://techboston.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2022-Benefit-Report.pdf) - [Blog](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/blog/) - [Certifications & Awards](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/certifications-awards/) - [Case Studies](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/case-studies/) - [Job Opportunities](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/careers/) - [Mission](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/mission/) - [Partnerships and Affiliations](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/partnerships/) - [Events](https://techboston.com/events/) - [Services](https://techboston.com/our-services/) - [Contact Us](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/contact-us/) # Why Employees are the Biggest Threat to Security and What You Can Do [Home](https://techboston.com) / Why Employees are the Biggest Threat to Security and What You Can Do Return to Previous Page [![image-1](https://blog.techboston.com/hubfs/employee%20security%20threat.png)](https://blog.techboston.com/hubfs/employee%20security%20threat.png) [View large](https://blog.techboston.com/hubfs/employee%20security%20threat.png) [IT security](https://blog.techboston.com/tag/it-security) ### Why Employees are the Biggest Threat to Security and What You Can Do We often think about hackers as a looming threat sitting in the dark trying desperately to guess our passwords and steal our confidential data. The reality is that cybercriminals are more advanced than that, and they often rely on us to give up information voluntarily. The worst thing? It works. All it takes for a security breach to occur is for one person to click a false password reset link, download a dangerous file, or provide information to a scammer via email. Because of this, it is essential that you keep your staff trained to avoid malicious attempts. We want to share a few ways you can train your staff and keep your data secure. **Create Clear Guidelines** You can’t expect that your team will know what makes a password strong, what to do with a suspicious email, or how to protect their data when working outside of the office. By creating strong security policies, you set a standard for your team that can help keep you safe. This can include setting password policies that include guidelines for how often passwords should be changed (and instructions to not write them on a post-it attached to a monitor), requiring the use of a VPN when working remotely, and using multifactor authentication to access important documents or software. **Make Security Part of Your Onboarding** When new people join your team, they aren’t aware of your policies or what they should do if a security breach occurs. Your onboarding process shouldn’t only cover what your policies are and how to access the VPN. You should also consider having your IT team meet with new employees to answer any questions or you can provide video trainings that will help your new team member learn how to identify threats and what actions to take.  **Phishing Testing and Ongoing Security Training** Once you’ve trained your staff on proper security practices, it’s important to continuously refresh their knowledge. Phishing tests are a great way to see how your staff would actually react to a potential breach. Ongoing training is another way to make sure your staff is thinking about cybersecurity. There are a variety of training tools that use video content and quizzes to gauge how knowledgeable your staff is and help them improve. **Plan for Offboarding** While it’s not pleasant to think about, there is always the chance that someone from within your organization could purposefully steal data or cause damage. This is why it is essential that you have clear policies for what happens when someone leaves your organization, voluntarily or not. This includes shutting down their access to files and systems and returning company devices to the organization. If someone were to leave your organization but their login for your file repository still worked, they would be able to download or corrupt your files. By automatically removing access, you prevent potential malicious attacks. While it’s not fun to think about the ways in which we are at risk of losing data, it is important to keep your files safe. If you have concerns about your technology or security, or if you are interested in performing a free phishing test at your organization, please [contact us.](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/contact-us/) Share Post - - - - - [mailto:?body=https://blog.techboston.com/why-employees-are-the-biggest-threat-to-security...-and-what-you-can-do-about-it](mailto:?body=https://blog.techboston.com/why-employees-are-the-biggest-threat-to-security...-and-what-you-can-do-about-it) [Previous](https://blog.techboston.com/building-the-right-cybersecurity-stack-for-your-organization) [![](https://blog.techboston.com/hubfs/cyber%20stack.png) Building the Right Cybersecurity Stack for Your Organization](https://blog.techboston.com/building-the-right-cybersecurity-stack-for-your-organization) [Next](https://blog.techboston.com/5-ways-to-create-a-truly-inclusive-workplace) [![](https://blog.techboston.com/hubfs/BLocal_TNB%20Article.png) 5 Ways to Create a Truly Inclusive Workplace](https://blog.techboston.com/5-ways-to-create-a-truly-inclusive-workplace) #### RELATED POSTS IT security [![Why Spam Filtering Matters](https://blog.techboston.com/hs-fs/hubfs/spam%20filtering.png?width=387&name=spam%20filtering.png)](https://blog.techboston.com/spam-filtering) #### Why Spam Filtering Matters April 20, 2023 at 08:00 AM by Veronica Moreno-Nestojko … secure passwords , IT security [![Using a Password Manager](https://blog.techboston.com/hs-fs/hubfs/password%20manager.png?width=387&name=password%20manager.png)](https://blog.techboston.com/password-manager) #### Using a Password Manager March 23, 2023 at 11:18 AM by Veronica Moreno-Nestojko … IT security [![Understanding How Least Privilege Can Help Your Organization](https://blog.techboston.com/hs-fs/hubfs/least%20privilege.png?width=387&name=least%20privilege.png)](https://blog.techboston.com/least-privilege) #### Understanding How Least Privilege Can Help Your Organization February 23, 2023 at 10:23 AM by Veronica Moreno-Nestojko … IT security [![What You Need to Know About Cyber Insurance](https://blog.techboston.com/hs-fs/hubfs/cyberinsurance.png?width=387&name=cyberinsurance.png)](https://blog.techboston.com/cyber-insurance) #### What You Need to Know About Cyber Insurance October 20, 2022 at 04:12 PM by Veronica Moreno-Nestojko … ### Leave a Reply [![updatedblogad](https://blog.techboston.com/hs-fs/hubfs/updatedblogad.png?width=312&name=updatedblogad.png)](https://techboston.com/about-tnb/contact-us/)                    ### Contact Us 1 Wadleigh Place South Boston, MA 02127 Phone: 617.269.0299 Fax: 888.527.9333 ### GET UPDATES ### Resources [Server Failure and Recovery](https://techboston.com/resources/server-failure/) [Plan a Successful Email Migration to the Cloud](https://techboston.com/resources/email-migration/) [How to Align Your Staff on Technology Use and Policies](https://techboston.com/resources/technology-policies/) [Data Loss and Recovery: A Guide](https://techboston.com/resources/data-loss-recovery/) [Assess Your IT Needs: Is an MSP Right For You?](https://techboston.com/resources/assess-it/) [IT Audits and Assessments: What Are They Good For?](https://techboston.com/resources/it-audits-assessments/) [The Right Time to Change Your MSP](https://techboston.com/resources/change-msp/) [Privacy Policy](https://techboston.com/privacy-policy/) © 2021 Tech Networks of Boston