Insider Risk
Here’s a question to make you pause: Do you know exactly who in your business can access your critical data right now? And more importantly, do they need that access to do their job?
If you’re like most business owners, you probably assume that access is sorted out during setup, and that’s the end of it. But new research says otherwise.
It turns out that around half of the staff in businesses have access to far more data than they should.
The Problem: Why Over-Access Matters
This is a big problem, known as insider risk. It’s the risk that comes from individuals inside your business—employees, contractors, or anyone with system access.
The danger isn’t just someone doing something malicious; it’s also that mistakes happen:
- Someone clicks on the wrong thing.
- Information is sent to the wrong person.
- Access remains after a person leaves the business.
When people can see things they don’t need, it opens the door to accidents, breaches, and compliance and audit issues.
Privilege Creep: The Silent Threat
One of the biggest issues is what’s called “privilege creep”:
- People gradually accumulate more access than they actually need.
- This often occurs when they transition to new roles or are added to new systems.
- Very few businesses are actively managing this properly, leaving huge amounts of data exposed.
Even scarier: Nearly half of businesses admit that some of their ex-staff still have access to systems months after leaving. That’s like leaving the keys to your office in the hands of someone who no longer works for you.
The Solution: Embracing Least Privilege
The solution is to make sure your people can only access what they need, and nothing more. This is known as the principle of “least privilege.”
It means setting up systems so:
- Permissions are strictly limited to what is necessary.
- Access is only granted temporarily when required (“just in time” access).
- When someone leaves your business, all their access should be removed straight away.
Staying Proactive in a Modern World
Today’s world of cloud apps, AI tools, and “invisible IT” makes this trickier. But it’s not impossible; it just means being proactive:
- Regularly review who has access to what.
- Tighten permissions across the board.
- Utilize tools that help automate this process.
The aim isn’t to slow people down—it’s to protect your data, your customers, and your business’s reputation.
If you need help assessing the security of your access controls, please get in touch. It’s better to know now than after a breach has occurred.