After reading the provided article regarding seasonal employees
and security risks I would agree with the authors assertions
regarding seasonal employees and the cybersecurity risks in the
workplace. Bonderud mentions in the article that “The first step in
mitigating potential employee risk is to implement a solid
onboarding and integration processes [1]. He goes on to mention
that this includes keeping hiring practices consistent including
interview practices, background checks, and the onboarding
process. I believe this is important to make seasonal employees
feel like part of “the team”, potentially giving them fewer reasons
to engage in malicious activities. This can be especially true in the
hospitality industry where employees such as valet drivers or
front desk workers have access to customer data such as credit
card information and drivers’ licenses.
e e e e e e e e e Protecting company data is also a major concern when
hiring seasonal employees who need access to this data to do
their jobs. Bonderud also explains in the article that it is important
to only allow access to data or information that is needed for a
specific role or responsibility. For example, a front desk employee
at a hotel would need to access customer booking information
while a newly hired line cook should not have access to this
information.
e e e e e e e e e There are several steps managers can take to reduce
security risks associated with hiring seasonal or temporary
employees. First, managers should engage with their seasonal
employees making sure they are being treated fairly and have the
right training and resources to do their jobs correctly. I believe
the Secure Computer User course would be helpful for those
employees who have access to computer systems and company
data, so they understand how to use them in a secure way.
Managers and IT staff also need to insure seasonal employees
only have access to minimal amounts of data that is needed to
complete their job functions. This includes setting up proper
access control permissions and the deprovisioning of accounts
when employees leave. Finally, as Bonderud mentions in the
article, it’s a good idea to have seasonal employees sign a
nondisclosure agreement clearly stating that they have no claim to
corporate data and forbidding the transmission or duplication of
this information outside necessary business use [1].
e e e e e e e e e e e e Managers can show leadership in cybersecurity
defenses and best practices in several ways. First managers should
adopt a security conscious culture. This includes creating an
environment where employees are aware of their importance for
the protection of the business and encouraged to share ideas
about cybersecurity [2]. Managers must also implement effective
security awareness training programs. “Whether by accident or
intent, many employees are often the root cause of successful
cyberattacks” [3]. An effective security awareness training
program can help to mitigate these risks.
References:
[1] Bonderud, Douglas. November 2, 2016. “Seasonal Employee
Security Risks: Present Danger, Proactive Defense”. Retrieved
from: https://securityintelligence.com/seasonal-employee-security-
risks-present-danger-proactive-defense/ March 22, 2022.
[2] Brecht, Daniel. February 19, 2019. “10 Steps Leaders Can
Take to Improve Cybersecurity in their Organization”. Retrieved
from: https://resources.infosecinstitute.com/topic/10-steps-leaders-
can-take-improve-cybersecurity-organization/ March 22, 2022.
[3] Bissell, Kelly and Ponemon, Larry. “The Cost of Cybercrime”
Page 9. Retrieved from:
https://www.accenture.com/_acnmedia/PDF-96/Accenture-2019-
Cost-of-Cybercrime-Study-Final.pdf March 22, 2022.
