Computer virus disgruntled employee

He was charged with criminal mischief a second-degree felony , carrying a dangerous weapon while under the influence of alcohol, and providing false information to the police both Class B misdemeanors , and public intoxication a Class C misdemeanor. Andrew Skelton, a senior auditor at Morrisons supermarket, was dragged over the coals in a disciplinary hearing in Somehow, he retained his job.

He kept a copy for himself, uploaded it to a file-sharing site and then tipped off the press. This is a huge data privacy issue and, because Morrisons is a U. It has taken Morrisons seven years and a long battle in the U.

Courts, the Court of Appeal, and finally the Supreme Court to prove that they were not vicariously liable for the unauthorized actions of a rogue employee. They needed that decision to forestall a class action that was brought against them by 9, of the affected data subjects. Even so, the data breach has cost Morrisons over GBP 2 million in legal fees, PR, damage limitation, and providing information and assistance to affected employees.

Andrew Skelton was sentenced to eight years of imprisonment. Note that none of these cases involved hacking. All that was required was an employee with a grudge. Less extreme examples involve job leavers stealing sales prospect lists, or deleting their email, files, or other data before they leave. They may post malicious lies and rumors on social media about the company, their boss, or a colleague. Disgruntled employees may intentionally introduce a virus.

They may create an account they can use to remotely access your systems when they have left. Managers and team leaders need to look for changes in productivity, attitude, and interactions with others in the staff they are responsible for. Special attention should be paid to staff members who have undergone a significant event at work or at home. Has someone in your department been through a disciplinary, made a failed bid for promotion, or received a poor appraisal?

In a caring way, not a whistle-blowing way, your staff ought to feel they can bring concerns about their colleagues to their management. They need to speak up when they start to have concerns. So who creates viruses? Many viruses and other malware are intended to make money either by tricking you into buying and downloading software, or by forcing you to look at ads or web pages. Armed with personal information like that, the malware developer could steal your identity, access bank accounts, and open credit cards in your name.

Some malware is created by people who want to damage a company or organization. Explore Wikis Community Central. Register Don't have an account? Cyber threat. Edit source History Talk 0. While this survey focused on U. For more on U. Categories Computer crime Security Cybercrime Add category. Cancel Save. It is also a good practice to regularly review your employees' access rights and terminate any credentials and accounts that are no longer in use.

Although many employees complain about the practice, requiring employees to change their passwords frequently can decrease the risk that fellow employees will be able to gain unauthorized access to data or information.

This is true while that employee is still employed and especially true when that employee leaves because he or she may be able to guess a generic password that one their co-workers often uses. In addition, you should analyze and monitor the data that your employee was able to access at the time of their departure. If you have any questions regarding this alert, please contact any member of the Firm's Data Protection, Privacy and Cybersecurity Group.

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