Employee theft tops list of threats to security

Apr 1, 1998 12:00 PM, AC&SSI Staff

The most significant potential threats to corporate security are more likely to come from within an organization than from outside company walls, according to "Top Security Threats Facing Corporate America," a survey released by Pinkerton, Encino, Calif. Of the top 10 security threats identified by security directors of Fortune 1000 companies, the first six are employee-related:

* employee theft;

* workplace violence;

* fraud and white-collar crime;

* employee selection;

* hardware and software theft; and

* ethical business conduct.

Rounding out the top 10 concerns were crisis management and executive protection; Internet security; intellectual property protection; and property crime.

While employee theft overtook workplace violence as the number one concern, fraud and white-collar crime moved from seventh in the rankings to third in the 1997 survey. Survey respondents were asked to rate 23 security threats on a five-point scale, with "5" being most important and "1" being least important. The combined responses were converted into an average and ranked.

Corporate security directors are increasingly responding to these issues by integrating pre-employment safeguards and employee procedures such as background checks, personal integrity testing and controlling access to information and property, says Frank Johns, managing director of Pinkerton Global Intelligence Services. For information, call 818-380-8800.

Want to use this article? Click here for options!
© 2012 Penton Media Inc.

This month in Access Control

• Targeting The Customer
• Electronic Pedigrees
• One Hero Among Many
• Who? What? When? Where? Why?
• More from September's issue