Ryan Russo, Denver Scientist, on Corporate Protection

Employees with user names and passwords can quickly and easily steal valuable information from the companies they work for. With just a few clicks of the mouse, they can pull data from company servers onto tiny stick drives, and they can sell that information to the highest bidder, and pull down a tidy profit in the process. It's a serious issue for companies that produce electronics, as well as any company that produces plans or instructions that could be stolen by the competition. While there's no way to ensure that employees won't steal from the companies they work for, Ryan Russo, Denver scientist, says there are some things companies can do to ensure that the damage they face is kept to a minimum.

 For starters, Ryan Russo says, companies can closely monitor those people they choose to fire or lay off. It's common for layoffs to take place in closed-door meetings, and the employees are then allowed time to pack up their desks and say goodbye to their colleagues. In these moments, some employees choose to sabotage the companies they worked for, logging onto the system and unleashing viruses or stealing information. It's a dangerous time, and it should be handled accordingly. Companies would do best to inactivate any employee passwords when that employee is in a firing meeting. That's the best way to ensure that nothing terrible takes place.

 Next, companies should ensure that their network activity is closely monitored, Ryan Russo, Denver scientist says. Unusual spikes in activity, taking place late at night, could point to a hacker, as could frequent visits to a database placed by someone who hasn't accessed that database in the past. A simple question, based on those unusual patterns, could separate the guilty from the innocent, Ryan Russo says, and help keep the company safe in the process.