Cybersecurity isn’t just an IT department’s job anymore. The varied and vast nature of security threats nowadays mean that the days when “cybersecurity” was just a buzzword thrown around by technology department and network administrators were the only ones who cared about it, are long obsolete.
Of course, that does not mean that network administrators will not lead the way. When an organization analyzes its cybersecurity defence, network administrators and IT heads will definitely be the ones who formulate policy, find solutions and drive the entire process. But, it’s also important for other departments to play their parts. More importantly, the Human Resource department’s role gains a lot of significance in today’s environment.
In an ideal world, the HR and the IT team should collaborate to come up with solutions to drive an organization’s security solutions forward. Some of the key cybersecurity risks which a company’s Chief Human Resource officer should care about are:
1. Insider Threats
Some of the greatest dangers a company faces is from within. The Insider Threat Report 2017 revealed that 74 percent of existing enterprises are highly vulnerable to insider threats. A recent example of a high-profile event of this nature was Alphabet’s lawsuit against Anthony Levandowski, a former employee, who they claimed downloaded confidential files and trade secrets before resigning to found his own company that was later acquired by Uber.
Employees or former employees, or anyone internally associated with the enterprise can cause immense harm to an organization. Since the HR team deals closely with employees, they can go a long way in identifying these threats early and neutralizing them.
Solution: The HR team can collaborate with network administrators to assign appropriate privileges. All employees do not need to have the same privileges – those who are working with confidential data must be identified and given different kinds of privileges. HR can do a mapping on these lines and plan accordingly. Importantly, any privileges given to former employees must be revoked as soon as they leave.
2. Ransomware and Malware attacks
Ransomware and malware threats pose a big threat to organizations worldwide. The risk they pose is magnified because they target individual employees. Any employee can click on a suspicious link or download an infected attachment and an entire organization could get affected. These types of malware can affect all systems in a network bringing an organization to a crippling halt. WannaCry affected more than 200,000 computers across 150 countries.
Solution: The only defence an organization has against these threats is employee awareness. If employees are regularly trained against ransomware, phishing and other types of similar threats, it will help organizations become much more robust. The HR team can take a lead in this part by organizing training programs and monitoring compliance towards these programs among employees.
Read more: How ransomware works: Understanding the strategy behind cyber attacks
3. No Backup Plan
Threats can strike at any time. Cyber criminals and hackers are refining their weapons everyday and new variations of threats are appearing in the wild. A key point to consider for organizations is if they have backup scenarios in the possibility that they are hit. A lot of small businesses never contemplate that possibility and put themselves at major risk. Without a backup plan, a company can face crippling consequences if they are hit by a security breach or attack.
Solution: The HR team plays a role by devising the proper policies of an organization. Amidst these, backup plans also play a key part. In collaboration with IT, they can assess the type of backup plan to design, its importance, what is covered by it and what is not. Having a proper Plan B will go a long way in recalibrating an organization’s focus.
A lot of these issues can be addressed by implementing a strong, advanced security solution like Seqrite’s Endpoint Security (EPS). The solution offers comprehensive endpoint and data protection in one integrated solution with several advanced features to keep organizations’ endpoints secure and their reputation as an employer intact.
As an IT security partner for your business, Seqrite provides comprehensive endpoint security from advanced cyber threats. To know more, visit our website or
