What prevention measures can be taken to avoid these situations:
We are in a period where remote working predominates and becomes increasingly commonplace. As organisations implement remote work and all related aspects, cyber threats that can cause irreparable damage are on the rise.
Both at an organisational and personal level, it is essential to monitor the risks and trends associated with cybersecurity. It is necessary to understand that the convenience of remote work is not always the safest method of operation. In this case, several prevention measures could have been adopted, such as:
Confirmation of the person's identity
Since the hiring process was conducted remotely, the first step would be to confirm the person's identity. Identity confirmation could be done by verifying the documents presented, as they were all found to be false. In this case, the situation could have been avoided upon discovering the documents were forged.
Residence verification
The next step would be to verify the residence of the hired individual since all materials would be sent to that address. One way to verify someone's residence is by sending a letter with a PIN and asking the person to confirm the PIN, thereby confirming that the person lives at that location.
Detailed interviews and reference checks
Conducting multiple rounds of interviews, including video calls, would have been another crucial step to ensure the legitimacy of the candidate and assess the consistency of their responses. To obtain absolute confirmation, the company could have further verified the professional and academic references provided by the candidate, directly contacting previous employers to confirm their experience and qualifications.
Utilisation of background checking services
When hiring remotely, background certification becomes even more necessary. Specialised services could have been employed to conduct checks on criminal, financial, and academic backgrounds, as these services help identify any discrepancies or forgeries in the documents provided by the candidate.
Implementation of gradual and monitored access
Lastly, it's important to emphasise the significance of trusting employees. In this case, access to confidential information and data was granted very rapidly and immediately, making it crucial to initially monitor the activities of new hires to identify any suspicious behaviour or deviation from established security norms. Access can be gradually expanded based on performance and established trust.
Source: confidential.
