Security alert: Does your business have old logins for ex-staff?

When someone leaves your business, you might be so wrapped up in the rush of everyday tasks, you forget to delete their login details.

It’s easy to overlook. You’ll get around to it later, right?

But unused login details could be a ticking time bomb for security breaches, leaving the doors wide open to cyber criminals. It can also be an unnecessary drain on your budget if you’re paying for old subscriptions you no longer need.

A recent report found that almost half of businesses had accounts that were no longer actively managed.

If you’ve forgotten about an account, you’re not monitoring it. And this leaves your business vulnerable to attacks.

These risks aren’t just hypothetical, either. Many cloud security breaches happen because unused login details and accounts have been compromised.

So, what do you need to do?

Take the time to audit all accounts and login details used by your business. Make sure you no longer have accounts open for ex-employees (and check that their access has been fully revoked, not just left inactive).

The same goes for any software or service that you’ve stopped using in your business. You might not realise you’re still paying for a service you haven’t touched in months – or even years.

Going forward, make sure you have a clear process for when people leave, and regularly review the applications and services your business uses.

If you’re not sure where to start, let us help you perform a security review and make sure you’re not leaving your business exposed to unnecessary threats. Get in touch.

Recent posts

Is your team using banned AI tools?

Is your team using banned AI tools?

A conversation I’m having more often with business owners goes something like this: “We don’t really use AI yet.” A few questions later, it turns out somebody is using ChatGPT to help write emails. Someone else is summarising meeting notes with an AI tool....

read more
Have your employees become AI “middleware”?

Have your employees become AI “middleware”?

AI was supposed to remove repetitive work. In some businesses, though, something different is happening. People are spending large parts of their day moving information between systems so the AI can function properly. Copying notes from one platform into another,...

read more
Could this be the future of cyber security?

Could this be the future of cyber security?

Most cyber security tools work reactively. Something suspicious happens, the system spots it, and then tries to stop the damage before it spreads. That’s incredibly important. But Microsoft is working on something that pushes much further: Using AI to find weaknesses...

read more