Employee unauthorized access occurs when an employee illicitly gains access to proprietary information or company-held personally identifiable information and financial data. This type of security breech is typically tied to identity theft schemes, and it can be carried out in a number of ways:

• Accessing company databases without prior authorization
• Looking at private information on coworkers’ computer monitors or desks
• Digging through trashcans and dumpsters for documents containing sensitive information

Criminals often recruit employees to steal proprietary information, preying on individuals who are experiencing difficult life circumstances, like financial difficulty or substance abuse.

While employee unauthorized access attacks are frequently carried out by current employees, former employees—especially those who were terminated—have been known to use old login credentials to access company information or sabotage systems.

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