We know that bad things happen everyday, and we know they could happen at any moment, but for some reason, we often think of danger as something that is “out there,” and deep down, we don’t really believe it could happen to us.
The Insider Monster comes like a thief in the night – it’s one of the most elusive and sneaky Cybermonsters, because you will never suspect that they are coming, and never know what they really want.
The Insider Cybermonster will sneak in, sometimes in the form you least expect them to, when you have let your guard down, like when you let a seemingly well-intentioned friend log in to your email one time, or even when your kids get on your phone.
The InSi-M0 are individuals with legitimate access to your personal information or your business data. Insider Monsters don’t seem like Cybermonsters, because they could be ANYONE: employees, former employees, contractors, vendors or business partners, or vengeful spouses… and the list goes on.
The Insider Cybermonster could attack by accident, because of ignorance, due to negligence, or for a specific financial or malicious intent. InSi-Mo will misuse their access to your sensitive information and negatively affect you, your organization or business operation. That is terrifying!
The InSi-M0 knows your business information, your data, and in some cases, they know the methods you use to protect your information – and how to bypass them, too!
Very often, you may not find out an Insider Monster’s plans until it is too late, because the damage has already been done.
The InSi-M0 Cybermonster may be involved with espionage, fraud, theft, or the disclosure of unauthorized information, sabotage of your systems or operations.
The InSi-M0 can be the person you’d least expect, so now that you are aware of this Cybermonster, let’s think of some ways your data may be unsafe!
Maybe you’ve given the password to one of your social media accounts to a friend, or you gave your child the PIN number on your phone – it’s unsafe to share that information because it could get into anyone’s hands. Whether it’s malicious or accidental, you could lose what matters most to you.
5 Ways To Keep Your Business Safe From Insider Cybermonsters
- Identify your most sensitive and precious information and document who has access to it. Once you create this list, limit the access to information you truly care about.
- Remove administrative rights from your employees’ computers. It may seem like a very extreme measure to some, however, consider this a protection to them. If Cybermonsters get access to your employees’ computers, your employees will be at risk and so will your entire business
- Invest in Cybersecurity training for your employees, so that protecting the data and devices they have access to can become second nature to them. Having cyber-savvy and cyber-aware employees will reduce the chance of them being vulnerable by accident or negligence.
- When a contractor, employee, or business partner is no longer part of your company or project, ensure you remove ALL their access to your computer, devices and data. They may intentionally want to harm you or your company, so this simple step can prevent many losses – and headaches.
- Borrow my colleague’s motto: “Trust but verify.” Sometimes we do not want to think people we know and care about can put us at risk, the reality is that we are all humans and whether it is intentional or unintentional, raising our level of awareness is a healthy way to protect ourselves. It’s a great practice to monitor how everything is functioning in our personal lives and businesses every once in a while.
Taking these steps doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t trust others or you think everyone around you is an Insider Cybermonster. Taking action to protect what matters most to you is the way we can all live Happily Ever Cyber!
What is something you want to know about Insider Hackers? I am excited to be on this journey with you to protect your data, your family, and your business!
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