Human Resources/Risk Managers have become increasingly familiar with violence in the workplace and are aware of the warning signs that precede a potential threat for physical violence. Now, there are increasing reports of cyber-stalking, email/SMS based harassment, sabotage, theft of intellectual properties and similar malicious behaviors in the workplace.
Physically-Based vs. Digitally-Based Threats
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Digitally-based threats differ in that they are non-proximity sensitive. Some examples are identity theft, cyber-stalking, unauthorized access to email and voicemail accounts, spoofing (digital identity masking, disguises, aliases or online camouflaging), deletion/removal of files as well as defacement of web pages and inappropriate or libelous information made available on the Internet.
Barriers, What Barriers?
Physically threatening behaviors often occur in public settings and involve levels of commitment and accountability, desired or not. Psychological barriers towards these inappropriate behaviors are often present.
Digitally-based threats are often perpetrated privately and the lack of accountability and inability for discovery are often strived for: the psychological barriers have diminished through the anonymity of a keyboard. A disgruntled employee who is IT savvy can perpetrate unwanted pursuit or mayhem anonymously from the convenience of his home and away from public scrutiny.
Threat Assessments
There are many approaches to threat assessments, contingent on circumstantial and environmental variables. Subcomponents of a comprehensive threat assessment often include psychological, sociological and organizational risk factors. Let's focus on these subcomponents and any presence of risk factors as it applies to a disgruntled employee and a digital threat potential.
Psychological Risk Factors
Things to watch for in technologically competent employees would be a high sense of entitlement, hostile or passive/aggressive behaviors, control issues, a low accountability for own behaviors, a history of depressions or obsessions, poor anger management and low frustration tolerance.
Sociological Risk Factors
Questions eliciting sociological risk factors include: Does the employee have a victim mentality, or need the "last word"? Is he a "drama creator"thus damaging workplace morale? Does she have very poor people skills, tending to stay to herself? People who have an interest in hacking and attending DEFCON conventions may also give signs of concern, along with Internet-savvy employees experiencing stressors such as financial and relationship problems who exhibit poor social boundaries. And conducting unwanted pursuits of other people should be seen as a threat.
Organizational Risk Factors
Search your networks for possible inroads to delicate information or operation systems. Check for vulnerable intellectual properties, databases and internal memos, as well as Human Resources data. Does the business allow unmonitored data transfers to portable drives? If password management is vulnerable, or there are difficulties in assessing vulnerability in the IT department, this could be a disaster waiting to happen. IT departments and Human Resources departments need to have open communication to avoid leaving data crumbs that can be exploited by those with malicious intent.
Conclusion
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To schedule a complimentary consultation on any matter involving digital threats in the workplace, please contact Atrium Psychological Group at 1-866-446-0991 or visit our website at www.atriumpsych.com.
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