You've Got to Be Kidding!: How to Keep Your Job Without Losing Your Integrity

Whom Are You Most Worried About?

Why would people with malicious intent focus on your company? I think the “four horsemen” that cause most ethical security dilemmas at work are sex, money, power, and pride. Perhaps they want power or status, or a recognition or reward they believe the company owes them. Perhaps they believe it will help them get or succeed in a new job—or perhaps it is simply due to greed.

Based on feedback from my seminar attendees, here are the rascals you are most likely to encounter: hackers; penetration testers (repeat phone callers who get a tidbit like a name with every call, then use that information on the next call to pry open your operations); corporate spies (yup, there’s a job description for them); identity thieves (think: dumpster divers); disgruntled employees (“I know how to hurt you!”); information brokers (“I just want to check our listing information . . .”); scam artists (“Just for you—an incredible deal!”); recruiters (they poach your people); and posers (everyday people who pretend to be salespeople, government workers, students, etc.). Whew!