What are the most common IT risks associated with human error?

1 Data breaches

A data breach is an unauthorized access or disclosure of sensitive or confidential information, such as personal, financial, or health data. Data breaches can occur due to various human errors, such as using weak or default passwords, clicking on phishing links, sharing credentials, or losing devices. Data breaches can have severe consequences for both the organization and the individuals affected, such as legal liabilities, reputational damage, financial losses, and identity theft. To prevent data breaches, you should implement strong authentication and encryption methods, educate your staff and customers on cyber hygiene, and monitor your network for any suspicious activity.

2 System failures

A system failure is a disruption or malfunction of an IT system or component, such as hardware, software, or network. System failures can occur due to various human errors, such as misconfiguring settings, installing incompatible or faulty updates, deleting or overwriting files, or overloading the system. System failures can affect the availability and performance of your IT services, resulting in downtime, data loss, customer dissatisfaction, and revenue loss. To prevent system failures, you should perform regular backups and testing, apply patches and updates carefully, follow best practices for configuration and maintenance, and have a disaster recovery plan in place.

3 Insider threats

An insider threat is a malicious or negligent act by an authorized user of your IT system, such as an employee, contractor, or partner. Insider threats can occur due to various human errors, such as abusing privileges, stealing or leaking data, sabotaging or compromising the system, or colluding with external attackers. Insider threats can pose a serious risk to your data security, intellectual property, and competitive advantage. To prevent insider threats, you should enforce the principle of least privilege, monitor user behavior and access logs, conduct background checks and audits, and foster a culture of trust and accountability.

4 Social engineering

Social engineering is a technique of manipulating or deceiving people into performing actions or divulging information that benefit the attacker. Social engineering can occur due to various human errors, such as falling for impersonation, phishing, or baiting schemes, revealing sensitive or personal information, or granting access or permissions to unauthorized parties. Social engineering can enable attackers to bypass your technical defenses and gain access to your IT system, data, or resources. To prevent social engineering, you should train your staff and customers on how to recognize and report suspicious messages, calls, or requests, verify the identity and legitimacy of any communication, and use caution when opening attachments or links.