Is Your Employee Handbook Safe From Cybersecurity Threats?

The shift to digital employee handbooks has made it easier to make updates, allow for instant distribution, and reduce printing costs. However, with this convenience comes the threat of cybersecurity risks. For employers and HR managers, understanding and mitigating these threats is no longer optional. It’s paramount to safeguard your organization’s reputation.

The Cybersecurity Risk of Digital Handbooks

Think about the wealth of information contained within your employee handbook. While it primarily outlines company policies, it often includes details that, if exposed, could be devastating.

Beyond the handbook itself, the digital infrastructure used to store and distribute it often houses other highly sensitive HR documents:

• Personally Identifiable Information (PII): Social Security numbers, home addresses, contact details, and emergency contacts.
• Financial Information: Bank details for payroll, compensation structures.
• Health Information: Potentially, details related to FMLA, ADA accommodations, or benefits enrollment.
• Performance Reviews and Disciplinary Actions: Sensitive personal and professional histories.

A data breach involving these documents can lead to identity theft, financial fraud, legal liabilities, regulatory fines, and irreparable damage to employee trust and your company’s brand.

6 Key Employee Handbook Cybersecurity Risks

1. Phishing and Social Engineering Attacks

Cybercriminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated. A common tactic involves spoofing legitimate company emails to distribute fake handbooks or “acknowledgment” forms containing malicious links or QR codes. Employees, believing they’re accessing official company documents, might unwittingly provide login credentials to imposter sites, granting hackers access to your internal systems.

2. Inadequate Access Control

Who has access to your digital handbook platform and associated HR files? Without robust, role-based access controls, any employee with elevated privileges or even a compromised account could potentially view, modify, or exfiltrate sensitive data.

3. Insider Threats

Whether malicious or accidental, insider threats are a significant concern. A disgruntled employee could intentionally leak data, or an employee with insufficient security awareness could inadvertently expose information through mishandling files, using insecure personal devices (BYOD), or falling for a phishing scam.

4. Vulnerable Platforms and Cloud Storage

If your digital handbook is hosted on a third-party platform or cloud service, the security of that provider is directly tied to yours. Outdated software, misconfigured settings, or weak encryption can create gaping holes for attackers.

5. Lack of Employee Training

Even the most secure systems can be undermined by human error. Employees who are not adequately trained on cybersecurity best practices, how to identify suspicious emails, or the importance of strong passwords and multi-factor authentication (MFA) become the weakest link in your defense.

6. Unsecured Device Access (BYOD)

If employees access digital handbooks and other HR documents on personal devices, the risks expand. Without proper BYOD policies and security measures (like mandatory antivirus, encryption, and secure connections), these devices can become entry points for cyberattacks.

How to Protect Your Digital Handbook and Your People

HR and IT must collaborate closely to implement a layered security strategy. Here are some essential steps:

Secure Your Digital Platform

• • Choose Reputable Vendors: Vet any third-party HR software or cloud storage providers thoroughly for their security protocols, certifications, and incident response plans.
  • Implement Strong Encryption: Ensure all HR data, both at rest and in transit, is encrypted.
  • Enforce Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Limit access to sensitive documents strictly on a “need-to-know” basis. Regularly review and update access privileges, especially during employee onboarding and offboarding.
  • Utilize Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Make MFA mandatory for accessing any HR systems or documents, adding an essential layer of security beyond just passwords.
  • Regular Security Audits and Penetration Testing: Proactively identify and address vulnerabilities in your systems.

Fortify Employee Awareness and Practices

• • Mandatory Cybersecurity Training: Conduct regular, comprehensive training for all employees on recognizing phishing attempts, social engineering tactics, safe password practices, and data handling protocols. Use real-world examples, like the fake handbook ploy, as case studies.
  • Clear Communication on Handbook Distribution: Communicate the official channels for distributing handbooks and collecting acknowledgments from employees. Emphasize that any deviation should be reported immediately.
  • Strong Password Policies: Enforce complex, unique passwords and regular password changes.
  • Secure BYOD Policies: If you allow personal devices for work, establish clear policies that mandate the use of security software, encryption, and secure network connections.

Establish Robust Internal Policies and Procedures

• • Data Privacy Policy: Clearly outline how employee data is collected, stored, accessed, and protected in your employee handbook itself.
  • Incident Response Plan: Develop a comprehensive plan for how your organization will respond to a data breach, including communication protocols, investigation steps, and mitigation strategies.
  • Data Retention and Disposal: Implement clear policies for the retention of HR data and ensure the secure disposal of outdated digital information.
  • Audit Trails: Maintain detailed audit logs of who accessed which documents and when, to aid in investigations and ensure compliance.

Digital employee handbooks are a modern necessity, but they are not without risk. By proactively addressing cybersecurity risks and fostering a culture of security awareness, employers and HR managers can enjoy the benefits of digital convenience while safeguarding valuable assets.

GTM Mitigates the Cybersecurity Risks of Digital Employee Handbooks

When you trust GTM to handle your payroll and HR, you can also trust that we have the tools in place to minimize cyber threats to your company and employee information.

Our HCM platform, isolved, allows you to upload your employee handbook and other documents, but requires your employees to securely log in to view them and to sign off on updates. There are no email attachments or QR codes, so your employees know that if they receive an email asking them to download an attachment or click a link, it’s a phishing attempt.

The entire GTM team undergoes continuous cybersecurity training. We use multi-factor authentication to access all our systems, and we are compliant with the New York Department of Financial Services’ cybersecurity regulation (23 NYCRR 500). The isolved platform is backed by the most rigorous cybersecurity measures in the industry.

Why trust your payroll data to anyone else? Request a free quote to learn more.