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Word To The Wise: Don’t Fire Your IT Guy
Jason Lee Miller
Staff Writer
2008-09-02
 Insider Reports RSS Feed
In case you didn't know, it's kind of important to be nice to your IT staff. You know why? Yeah, you know why; they have access to everything and can sink or expose your entire system. And guess what? A recent survey pegs 88 percent or 300 IT security pros as willing to take you down with them in a blaze of data.
 | | Word To The Wise: Don't Fire Your IT Guy |  |
A survey conducted by Cyber-Ark Software, self-described as a "privileged identity management specialist company, found that 88 percent of IT administrators said they would take valuable and sensitive information with them in the even they are laid off.
This information would include CEO passwords, customer database, R&D plans, M&A plans, and the company's entire list of privileged passwords, which would give them access to things like financial accounts and HR records.
"Most company directors are blissfully unaware of the administrative or privileged passwords that their IT staff has access to which allows them to see everything that is going on within the company. These privileged identities, which lie on hundreds of servers and applications, very rarely get changed as it's often considered too much hassle. When people leave the organization, they can often still access the network using these passwords to acquire highly sensitive data" says Udi Mokady - president and CEO of Cyber-Ark.
Mokady recommends routinely changing passwords to avoid breaches in the event of a termination.
Other stats from the study reveal over a third of respondents admitted to sending sensitive or confidential information via email; another third used courier services; four percent said they used the postal system. Yet another third admitted to writing down privileged passwords on a Post-it note.
"You can install the best security systems in the world, but if your staff does not respect the information they are entrusted with, then the information will most definitely go astray - just as the findings of this survey have illustrated," added Mokady.
About the Author:
Jason is a graduate of the University of Kentucky. He covers business, technology, and security issues.
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