Unveiling the Dark Side of Employee Dissatisfaction

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Background Information on Cyber Crimes
Issues and Points of Contention
Application
Possible Outcomes of Cyber Crimes
Methods or Approaches to Using Precautionary Measures
Conclusion
References

Introduction

One of the most damaging types of sabotage a business may encounter is the one caused by unhappy workers. These saboteurs frequently have in-depth knowledge of their systems, networks, and applications. They may also include administrative rights or be aware of any backdoors that may be there. Dissatisfied employees are frequently in this situation because they were fired due to outsourcing attempts, lower compensation, promotion, or other similar actions. Unfortunately, for the concerned firm, such activities frequently occur with adequate warning, giving the now-displeased employee time to organize their retaliation. Access and motivation are two things unhappy workers need to harm. In addition, a study by Deep Secure reveals that almost half (45%) of office workers are prepared to sell company secrets to outsiders (Fitzgerald, 2022). Notably, 25% of the employees questioned would be enticed with just £1,000 (Fitzgerald, 2022). Thus, the issue of internal sabotage is a serious threat to the security of an organization.

In addition, the sexual aspect of the problem manifests in sexual offenses and assault. Through peer-to-peer networks, employees exchange music files with their peers and may have unwittingly come into contact with viruses or unwanted and unwelcome sexual content at this time (Madigan et al., 2018). The use of anonymous remailers was one method the Internet opened the way for spreading illegal sex materials. Due to the convenience of the user not having to identify the source of the contents, the Internet is now being used to distribute pornography (Madigan et al., 2018). Criminals may efficiently utilize the Anonymous Remailers as they can convert their computer into a remailer. The paper focuses on cybercrimes committed by insiders, threats they pose to organizational security, as well as recommendations for better protection against such breaches.

Background Information on Cyber Crimes

The national security of all nations is seriously threatened by cybercrime. These cybercrimes cost businesses and governmental organizations billions of dollars in lost income. For instance, Russian organized criminal groups were well known for their involvement in telecommunications fraud, particularly the cloning of mobile phones (“A Byte out of History: $10 Million Hack,” 2022). The Russian gangs targeted bookmakers and online betting companies and demanded ransom or threatened to shut down their networks if they were not paid. It led to them being pursued by Interpol, and other British and Australian agencies, which spent millions of dollars in their efforts.

In essence, the idea of ‘computer crime’ was made viable, if not inevitable, by computerization, which was made possible by discoveries and breakthroughs in computing and telecommunications technology. Since the development of mainframe computers in the 1940s and 1950s to enhance military armaments and later rocket guidance systems, computer systems have been subject to abuse and exploitation (Willison et al., 2017). Since laws did not yet cover damaging computer-related actions against computer crime, academics started looking at “computer abuse” in the middle of the 1970s (Willison et al., 2017). All of this began to change in the 1980s as more computers were linked to the Internet and were abused, leading state and federal governments to adopt legislation against computer crimes (Hadlington, 2017). These rules were first created to address the expanding problem of computer hacking, but they were rapidly broadened to cover other illegal conduct.

However, this idea became outdated when computers got smaller, more powerful, more accessible, and could do more features, including uploading and downloading data files to and from the Internet. IT specialists unaware of or uninterested in cybercrime have a dilemma (Liaqat, 2021). Since antiquated laws did not precisely match the crimes committed and more existing legislation had not yet caught up to the realism of what was happening, law enforcement officers typically lacked the funds necessary to combat the issue. There were not many legal precedents to draw from for guidance.

Issues and Points of Contention

The development of technology may both benefit and harm society. As a result of the changes brought about by technological innovation, individuals frequently encounter moments of surprise or shock. All companies use firewalls and safety nets to safeguard information against cybercrimes. Financial institutions have long been the focus of criminal activity, whether online or offline (Fitzgerald, 2022). These organizations represent rich targets for both outsider and insider attacks. Raids are now carried out on a larger scale due to technological advancements in the computerization of assets and systems.

The amount of outsourcing in today’s sectors has led to the discovery of consulting, non-payroll or temporary workers, joint ventures, or cooperative arrangements, which has led to an increase in this problem (Davis, 2009). The insider threat is not something people actively pursue or carry out on purpose. It might be challenging to distinguish between acceptable and undesirable behavior. The system infiltration or assault by insiders might lead to the loss of financial assets, including intellectual property, belonging to the business. Losses such as company damage, asset destruction, interruption of client operations, and interference with everyday operations on the internal system are incurred.

These attacks make it considerably harder to defend against or halt them, and stopping or preventing such operations takes a lot of time. Due to their regular interaction with the firm’s system, insiders have an advantage or head start regarding system familiarity or flaws. Because the individual is aware of the alarm system, most of these attacks go undiscovered (Hadlington, 2017). Implementing a customized, well-organized, and laser-focused program is crucial for stopping these sorts of assaults, reducing the risk to the business, and safeguarding the information available for internal consumption or private.

Application

The key reason why the topic is vital is that ransomware is becoming a gradually increasing problem to the point that organizations deal with it by accepting the crime as a mere operational expense. In the case of application, insider threats take the form of ransomware, where an attacker endangers an organization with a possible rescue being offered for a ransom. It is the most current and problematic aspect of cyber security that creates severe problems for organizations. Cases of ransomware assaults utilizing corporate tactics with a commercial focus extend back to 2012 (Liaqat, 2021). Malware commonly hides in another document, waiting for the intended audience to open it and run it (Liaqat, 2021). When activated, the virus can access a unified control and command server to wait for orders from the adversary or lock the corporation’s contents with a 2,048-bit cryptographic key (Gidney & Ekera, 2021). Since the organization’s data is encrypted with the encryption key of the attacker, it is still unavailable after infection.

Thus, the application element of the topic is manifested in its practical aspects. After all the access data, including the backup data and systems, has been encrypted, the corporation will receive instructions on settling ransom within days, or the attacker will remove the encryption algorithm, and the data will be lost. The word ‘ransomware’ is employed to designate malicious software that holds data at ransom (“Botnet Operation Disabled,” 2022). It would take an average desktop computer five quadrillion years to decode the information without the encryption key, according to some estimations; as a result, it is not economically possible to crack the key instead of paying the ransom.

In practice, cybercrime is generally on the increase and has negative consequences on businesses. Therefore, people should conduct extensive studies to develop strategies for addressing the cyber issue. The situation has tremendously impacted organizations, causing them to suffer significant losses. The number of security threats climbed by 31% between 2020 and 2021, according to Accenture’s State of Cyber Security Resilience 2021 study (Hadlington, 2017). Since organizations keep clients’ sensitive data and personal information, attacks on businesses also damage individuals. According to insurance provider Hiscox, a single assault, whether a data breach, malware, ransomware, or DDoS attack, costs enterprises of all sizes an average of $200,000, and many impacted businesses fail within six months of the incident (Hadlington, 2017). A study on identity fraud by Javelin Strategy & Research in 2021 estimated that $56 billion had been lost to identity fraud losses throughout the year (Miller, 2021). The effects of cybercrime may be severe for both individuals and businesses, with money loss being the most common, but also trust loss and reputational harm.

Possible Outcomes of Cyber Crimes

The sophistication of cybercriminals is increasing, and they can attack both public and private enterprises as well as individual customers. A successful cyber-attack may have wide-ranging effects, including monetary losses, personal property theft, and consumer confidence and trust deterioration. Cybercrime is predicted to have a billion-dollar annual economic impact on society and the government (Miller, 2021). Numerous employees are addressed daily for cybercrime due to all these activities and threats that make up the new reality of online (Miller, 2021). Thus, users of unsecured networks who use the Internet run various risks, including being exposed to inappropriate conversations, unintentionally becoming the object of sexual fantasies, and receiving pornographic or indecent images.

Another influence that may be seen from the data is digital piracy. Sales in the music business fell by 31% between 2004 and 2010 (Liaqat, 2021). Digital piracy, which is thought to cost the music business $12 billion yearly, is one possible reason for this loss. According to estimates, the cost will be $20 billion for the film business and $8.3 billion for the software sector (Liaqat, 2021). Despite the lack of precise numbers for the gaming business, piracy also negatively affects that sector. The main issue that many artists are talking about is the widespread prevalence of music and movie piracy in numerous nations, including Tanzania. Vendors distribute and market them to others.

Businesses are frequently targeted for their client’s financial and personal information and are often the victims of cybercrime or merely angry staff. Businesses experience billions of dollars in annual losses due to hacking and other computer breaches. Since the consequences of a security breach might last for years beyond the initial attack, it is sometimes impossible to determine the total cost. At work and on people’s home computers, unauthorized access is possible (Miller, 2021). In other words, it is safe to state that hacking is one of the most prevalent types of illegal access.

Intentional data destruction is another negative impact of cybercrime on society and industry. This kind of cybercrime may cost the business money to retrieve the lost data and goodwill from customers owing to errors brought on by the data loss (Strickland, 2021). If credits or receipts are not correctly sent to customers’ accounts, data leakage may negatively affect those customers. Criminals have adapted online tactics such as stock spam email campaigns to efficiently and inexpensively reach vast numbers of prospective victims since the Internet has become an essential aspect of people’s lives worldwide.

Methods or Approaches to Using Precautionary Measures

One may use several techniques to safeguard information and intellectual property, followed by the organization’s financial viability. These techniques would assist in preserving, protecting, and timely alarm rising. Using these best practices, organizations may decrease the dwell period of cyber-attacks and make it more difficult for dangerous hackers to hide (Liaqat, 2021). These are the techniques: Languages Used in Policy Access control, predictive modeling, integrated approaches, monitoring, and system hardening. Policy Language regulations outline the limitations and scope of a language’s usage and the freedom a user may exercise depending on his position or degree of clearance inside the company. Developing the privileged class within the organization indicates that the members have a dispersed set of access privileges.

In addition to monitoring and controlling traffic, access control also serves as a means of combating insider attacks since it makes it possible to comprehend and track down anybody who has violated clearance requirements. It allows access while also placing restrictions on its use (Strickland, 2021). The fundamental concept of monitoring is to secure the digital platform with safeguards to prevent the abuse of information. Systems hardening necessitates a disciplined approach to audit, identify, shut, and control security vulnerabilities throughout your firm. Businesses may proactively discover security vulnerabilities using predictive analytics before they cause any harm. It guarantees that artificial intelligence prediction and detection will be based on model knowledge and their respective reliance on documents related to the organization’s operation.

Conclusion

Organizations are becoming increasingly concerned about IS security. While external risks needed to be considered, rogue personnel also constituted a threat that should not be undervalued. A small but rising number of scholarly works have addressed insider danger. In the absence of concrete theories or applications to prevent such acts, monitoring aspects take the form of constructing a safety net to protect the genuine interests of organizations and institutions from the heinous grasp of cybercrime. In addition, it helps comprehend the technological approach to ensure that the appropriate actions are made to generate sync in light of the precautions to avoid the process.

As a dependable system to limit access inside the organization is developed, the psychological component of the organization is further formed. The socio-technical approach combines the socio-cultural significance with the traits of technical grounds. The technical side of the business is covered in the technical course. The diversity of procedures used to address the present problem of systems being susceptible to attack from the inside ensures that opinions are not distorted. However, using methods and technology in conjunction with human interaction may minimize states of uncertainty or guide the aimless search that companies would otherwise have to do. These techniques and models develop several checks that would guarantee a degree of security for both people and an organization.

References

A Byte Out of History: $10 Million Hack | Federal Bureau of Investigation. Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2022). Web.

Botnet Operation Disabled | Federal Bureau of Investigation. Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2022). Web.

Davis, L. (2009). Laid off employees turning to cybercrime. Read Write. Web.

Fitzgerald, J. (2022). 5 Cyber security Startups that recently laid off workers. CRN. Web.

Gidney, C., & Ekera, M. (2021). How to factor 2048-bit RSA integers in 8 hours using 20 million noisy qubits. Quantum, 5, 433-435. Web.

Hadlington, L. (2017). Human factors in cyber security; examining the link between Internet addiction, impulsivity, attitudes towards cyber security, and risky cyber security behaviors. Heliyon, 3(7), e00346. Web.

Liaqat, S. (2021). Covid-19 and cybercrimes, types of attacks, and outline of crimes. Innovative Computing Review, 1(2), 71–84. Web.

Madigan, S., Villani, V., Azzopardi, C., Laut, D., Smith, T., Temple, J. R., Browne, D., & Dimitropoulos, G. (2018). The prevalence of unwanted online sexual exposure and solicitation among youth: A meta-analysis. Journal of Adolescent Health, 63(2), 133-141. Web.

Strickland, D. (2021). How to prevent employee data theft during off-boarding. Current ware. Web.

Willison, R., Warkentin, M., & Johnston, A. C. (2017). Examining employee computer abuse intentions: Insights from justice, deterrence, and neutralization perspectives. Information Systems Journal, 28(2), 266-293. Web.

Click Here To Order Now!