Exploring human error and its impact on organizations

Employees pose a big threat to the security of an organization. While many organizations have invested heavily in setting up perimeter walls to keep intruders out, it is the insiders that remain a major problem as far as the security of an organization is concerned. Insiders that pose a threat to an organization range from former employees, current employees, business partners, interns, customers, to contractors. Arguably, they pose a greater threat because of their knowledge of the systems and because of the trust the organization may have in these employees. More often than not, it is insiders that either cause an attack themselves or through whom an attack is possible. Laxity on the part of organizations in terms of security policies involving employees is well documented. In 2001, for instance, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) revealed that a Russian spy had worked within their ranks for 20 years and had helped the...