What damage could a rogue network manager do to your business?

NetworkTigers discusses how much damage a rogue network manager could inflict on your business.

You rely on your network manager to keep your data operations safe, but what if they were to turn rogue? The damage they could do could be catastrophic, from sabotaging your system to damaging your company’s reputation. A rogue network manager is many companies’ worst nightmare, but every business should be prepared for that possibility.

Understanding the risks of unhappy employees

Disgruntled current employees or ex-hires pose a potent threat to many areas of your network security for several reasons. Perhaps the most powerful is that they know where to look to do the most damage. Whether taking client lists, copying financial data, or deleting or corrupting chunks of vital code, an ex-employee knows where to hit for the maximum impact. 

According to a 2022 cybersecurity study from Unit 42, insider threats are relatively rare but can be deadly. While they make up just 5.4% of data breaches, 75% of insider threats come from a disgruntled ex-employee like a rogue network manager. Employees may keep company gear and have the know-how necessary to poison code before leaving or set up remote access from home. 

What could a rogue network manager do to harm your business?

Some of the most common risks from a rogue network manager include: 

• Reputation damage: A network manager who sends out an inappropriate email or tell-all about company secrets can destroy current profitability and your company’s future reputation. 
• Leaks: Client lists, codes, and proprietary secrets can be valuable assets for sale to the highest bidder, including market competitors. 
• Destroyed or damaged files: Network managers who turn rogue may deploy malware or remote access software that temporarily or permanently restricts company file access. 
• Embezzlement: Network managers commonly have wide-reaching access to areas of the company that may allow them to profit from insider trading and embezzlement schemes. 

Four categories of rogue employee behaviors can threaten your network security. They are:

1. Negligence: Negligent rogue behaviors include employees who are challenging to manage and are careless with company protocol. They may leave passwords and login information on sticky notes, work from unsecured networks when telecommuting, or lose company laptops and network devices. These kinds of employees may not be intentionally acting out to sabotage your network, but their actions pose a threat nonetheless. No employee, especially in IT, should be above compliance protocols.
2. Vengeance: Employees with a grudge may decide to turn rogue and can purposefully cause a great deal of damage. Common threads behind this kind of rogue behavior include employees who have been passed over for promotion, those who feel that less valuable employees have been promoted above them, who have gone long periods without a raise, who feel unnoticed by supervisors, who are facing redundancy from AI or other tech advances, or who have presented a grievance that has not been taken seriously by leadership. 
3. Politically or financially motivated sabotage: It may seem far-fetched, but there have been documented cases of political actors who have leaked state secrets through the tech industry. Especially if your company has contracts with the federal government or is part of the public utility or voting software sector, conducting thorough background checks on network managers is important. 
4. Mental health crises: In 2022, 76% of the American workforce reported experiencing at least one symptom of mental illness. Employee mental health is high on every company’s list of concerns, from burnout to economic stress to the additional concerns that COVID-19 brought to the forefront. A network manager who experiences a mental health crisis can jeopardize company security not only through their performance but also because of the additional risk of erratic behaviors. 

Recession and ransomware

One rising concern from a rogue network manager is hacking-for-hire. IT professionals and those with coding knowledge are in demand in every field, including cybercrime. A rogue network manager may use their skill set for wrongdoing to make ends meet after being let go, or because of a grudge they have against their employer. In rare cases, they may be approached by foreign actors or hacking gangs and promised large sums for granting access to company networks. Economic stress can make a person turn to cybercrime or sell valuable company information on the dark web once they have lost their primary source of income. Unfortunately, cybercrime is an easier field to break into for many, especially those already in the IT sector, than finding another desk job.

According to Palo Alto, ransomware-as-a-service (RAAS) is an increasing threat to companies, and ex-employees may easily contribute to this rise. The average ransom demand for business hacks has risen by 144%, and the average payment is also up by 78%, with at least 56 RAAS groups being tracked by Unit 42. When ex-employees do turn into hackers-for-hire, perhaps the easiest target for their actions is their former company. 

Fighting back against internal cyber threat

Although every business hopes they do not have to face it, a rogue network manager can devastate your data security and profitability. Following these steps can help minimize the potential for threat:

• Influential safety culture: Promoting transparency and incentivizing reporting can help catch rogue network managers before they complete planned damage. 
• Regular checkpoints: Employees who turn rogue often show signs of distress, apathy, or disengagement. Scheduling check-ins with supervisors can help highlight concerns before they escalate.
• Clearly defined exit strategies: Today, one in five businesses report that failure to de-provision employees is the main factor in cybersecurity risks from disgruntled employees. According to OneLogin, at least half of ex-employee accounts remain active for 24 hours after being let go or quitting a company. Twenty-five percent of respondents say that it can take over a week for a former employee to lose access to data, cloud-based systems, and third-party access like Google Docs or Dropbox. 
• Background checks: Conducting background checks can ensure that new hires do not have a history of concerning behaviors or past rogue activity. 
• Principle of least privilege: Limiting employee access only to necessary files for them to do their job can save companies thousands to millions of dollars in loss should a network manager turn rogue. 
• Periodic scanning: According to a recent OneLogin survey, 41% of respondents do not use security information and event management (SIEM) systems. Employing periodic scanning and monitoring for third-party devices can help detect threats involving outside influence or remote access. 

When in doubt, prepare an exit strategy for a network manager gone rogue. No system should be solely in the control of one employee, for everyone’s sake.

About NetworkTigers

NetworkTigers is the leader in the secondary market for Grade A, seller-refurbished networking equipment. Founded in January 1996 as Andover Consulting Group, which built and re-architected data centers for Fortune 500 firms, NetworkTigers provides consulting and network equipment to global governmental agencies, Fortune 2000, and healthcare companies. www.networktigers.com.