The I.T. Guy Who Knew Too Much
Turns out, that’s probably a large proportion of them. A new survey (PDF file) from the electronic security company Cyber-Ark reveals what you probably suspected but don’t really want to think too hard about: Two-thirds of IT professionals anonymously surveyed in the US and UK admit they have accessed information that is unrelated to their jobs. Forty-one percent say they or their colleagues have actually used their admin privileges to get at info “that is otherwise confidential or sensitive.”
Yikers. Seriously: I love and respect our IT guys, and they do a ton to keep my computer ship-shape and doing what I need it to do. I’m sure it’s none of them. But all those other guys out there? For shame!
Truth is, there’s a fine line for these guys between snooping and doing what they are told to do by the bosses, which these days often involves keeping tabs on private email, porn surfing and any other activity deemed not in the company interest. So does this include…emails you send applying for another job? It all starts to get very fuzzy.
In this episode, we chat with a former snooper, a snoopee (Snoopy?) and of course the friendly fellow behind this excoriating survey. Just remember, most IT guys are loving, caring individuals. They just happen to swim every day in an ocean of your sensitive information.
(Jeff Horwich guest hosts.)
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