Last week I was listening to an interview with a cyber-security expert. During the interview he referenced that a variety of government security networks had been compromised in recent months and years. He then detailed some of the techniques that cyber-criminals have used. Frankly, I was expecting to hear about high-tech tools that somehow outsmarted the firewalls created by our best technologists. Surprise! One of the methods largely counted on the non-technology quality of curiosity. That’s right, it turns out that just like curiosity can kill the cat, curiosity can also kill the security network. Perhaps you are asking yourself, “How?” The answer is simple. Here is the set-up that cyber-thieves used. They downloaded a Trojan virus on a handful of thumb drives. Then, they sprinkled the thumb drives here and there in the parking lot of a national defense agency. Along came a defense employee, who was giddy at the site of a stray thumb drive. Rather than reformat the thumb drive first, they unwittingly plugged it into their computer to take a peek at the contents. The second they inserted it a nasty virus was injected into a very important computer network. Suddenly, cyber-criminals could download terabytes (that’s geek-talk for “mucho”) of data. Remarkably, the criminals could download the data remotely. In other words, they did not even have to be within 100 miles of the agency from which they stole precious secrets.

Keep in mind; I listened to this story via a national radio program. So let me ask you this: How safe do you keep your technology systems? Importantly, what kind of procedures do you have in place for your employees regarding screensavers, external downloads, remote informational devices, etc.? While it is a wonderful world, it can also be a scary world. Take precautions: set up logical processes and procedures and thoroughly train those curious animals out there.