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THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS CYBERSECURITY | STAY VIGILANT
How an HR Mistake Led to a Major Cybersecurity Threat
A cautionary tale about business as usual
When least expected, a frightening experience at work last week left me questioning more than a missing paycheck.
It’s typical to see my direct deposit in my bank account a day before payday. Not wanting to jump to conclusions, I didn’t give it much thought. But when my balance remained the same on Friday morning, I became suspicious.
It’s worth mentioning that two weeks prior, HR sent an all-employee memo as a reminder to take the latest cybersecurity training.
I couldn’t type an email fast enough asking if someone could help me understand why my deposit was not in my account. Copied all the usual suspects: accounting, HR, and my GM.
To my GM’s credit, he responded immediately and said he would check into it.
Accounting: “This is not in our hands; It takes one to two pay cycles, depending on your bank.”
Huh? I thought this was an odd response, but since I’m not privy to their internal processes, I needed further explanation. Maybe they send auto-payment notifications every pay period — what do I know?
