Employee theft costs companies billions of dollars a year. This poses a very serious threat to profitability if left unchecked. Therefore, every business needs to set up some internal controls to thwart this type of fraud. This article from Hughes Pittman & Gupton, LLP entitled “Guard against Losses from Employee Theft” looks at a few simple steps to take that …
FBI Tech Tuesday: Building a Digital Defense Against Travel Scams
The FBI investigates many categories of crimes including travel scams. As a result, they receive many tips that can be beneficial to the public when passed along. I am glad that the FBI has increased the process of alerting and educating the public about certain security issues. This is most evident as it relates to internet and computer security. Most …
Held Hostage by a Dishonest Employee
I recently was involved in a case in which a company employee was discovered using a company credit card for personal reasons. This happens occasionally, and one would think that immediately terminating the dishonest employee would resolve the issue. But what happens when the employee is the one and only IT person for the company? Many companies have only one person …
Terminating an Employee and Company Data
Having to terminate an employee is never easy. To make the process even more difficult, consider the recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Courion which stated that 19% of employees age 18 to 34 would take company data with them if they knew they were about to be fired. Read the full story here. Depending on the …
Security in the Office – A Checklist
How is your security? The following checklist illustrates the necessary aspects of security that must be addressed for a secure environment. Comply with and support your company’s safety and security program and regulations, and insist that others do the same. Protect wallets, keys, purses, and other personal valuables on the job. This especially includes smartphones and tablets. Challenge strangers in …
NC companies’ Secrets at Risk, Cyber Terrorism Experts Say
In this day and age, sometimes it is difficult to discern truth from fiction. Greg Baker is an expert in the area of cyber terrorism and a leader in developing public/private relationships that work. In the later years of his career with the FBI, he was the face of InfraGard North Carolina. InfraGard is an information sharing and analysis effort …
Hidden Costs of Security Problems
What are the hidden costs of security problems? On Wednesday, April 10, 2013, staff members at the Louvre in Paris staged a protest, and the museum did not open. (Read the full story from the BBC here.) They were not protesting about wages, benefits, or hours. They were protesting about a security problem. Pickpockets are apparently a huge problem at …
Identity Theft – Where’s Your Wallet?
Identity theft is talked about constantly, and when it happens to someone, their response is normally “I don’t know how this happened to me”. Sometimes it is just too easy. On a recent business trip – to a security conference no less – as we walked into a restaurant for breakfast we passed an empty booth with no one close …
Hotel Locks
Most hotel locks use a card rather than a key, and in recent months this is presenting a big problem. A low-cost piece of hardware called a microcontroller can make for a simple hack and easy burglary with no signs of forced door or picked lock. See the story here. The up side for hotels to use keycards instead of …
Items of Value in Cars – Asking for Trouble
What concerns me is how individuals will leave GPS, phones, iPods, purses, money, and other items of value in their cars – in plain view. They may say, “well, I don’t have anything in my purse” or “my GPS is old.” Someone just walking by your car does not know that the purse may be empty or the GPS may …