Business security

The biggest business security threat comes from within

For all the concerns about hackers and scammers targeting your business, you’re actually most at risk from your own staff being oblivious to the consequences of their actions.

As major security breaches make the headlines more and more often, it’s tempting to think that the key to business cyber-security is reinforcing your external defences to keep out the bad guys. That’s certainly important, but a well-rounded business security strategy focuses just as much on the enemy within.

Of course there’s the occasional disgruntled employee with an axe to grind but simple human error or accidental loss by an employee is the biggest source of a potential data breach, according to security company Shred-it’s second annual Australian Information Security Tracker study.

Based on responses from more than 1,100 businesses across the country, the report paints a disturbing picture – with security risks typically coming down to inadequate staff training and poor implementation of information security policies and protocols.