As the manager of a local convenience store, I have noticed a significant discrepancy between the amount of candy sold and the inventory. After conducting a weekly inventory report, I decided to take proactive measures to identify the cause of the problem. By installing closed-circuit cameras and rearranging the store, I was able to identify the culprit and take necessary steps to minimize the chances of insider theft going forward.

Analysis:

To detect a malicious insider stealing company assets, continuous security monitoring (CSM) is crucial. By automating the monitoring of information security controls, vulnerabilities, and other cyber threats, continuous security monitoring assists organizational risk management decisions. It allows the organization to ensure the adherence of employees to security requirements, to detect changes, and to establish a sense of security. Similarly, regular audits of the organization's information systems security can identify security problems and system flaws, establish a security baseline, and help determine whether current security training is adequate.

Ethical and Legal Considerations:

Stealing candy without paying for it constitutes a theft of company assets, and therefore, an illegal act. If found guilty, the employee may lose their job, face punishment, or even jail time, depending on the severity of the crime. The ethical factor is that this behavior constitutes a moral standard violation that reflects negatively on the employee's integrity. Moreover, it reflects negatively on the company because it can harm its reputation if not addressed properly.

Response and Countermeasures:

The best approach to dealing with an employee caught stealing corporate assets is to start by seeking to understand what led to their unethical behavior. If disciplinary action, such as firing, has to be taken, ensure that it is done in line with the law. False imprisonment or detaining an employee is not allowed and could make the company liable for prosecution. Also, avoid defamation of character by not launching a smear campaign against the former employee.

Prevention:

To reduce the likelihood of insider threats, it is essential to rethink hiring standards and run basic background checks of potential employees. Hiring individuals who are prone to stealing can be disastrous for the organization. Therefore, having measures to prevent insider theft is as important as detecting insider threats.

Conclusion:

In summary, detecting insider threats, ethical and legal factors, taking the right responses and measures, and implementing prevention measures can help minimize the risks of insider theft. By continually assessing the organization's security posture and its adherence to security policies, the likelihood of insider thefts can be significantly reduced, and the organization can focus on other strategic initiatives.

In Conclusion,

Despite the implementation of anti-theft policies that clearly outline the consequences of stealing, there will always be individuals who believe they can outsmart the system or do not take the policy seriously. Particularly in cases where the motivation for theft is not financial, but rather an act of greed or opportunism, ethical concerns come into play, highlighting the perpetrator's lack of moral standards. In such situations, it is imperative to safeguard oneself and one's business by anticipating worst-case scenarios and ensuring that security measures are current, functioning correctly, and explicitly stating what behavior is and is not acceptable.

Sources:

Gillis, A. S. (2021, June 2). Definition: What is a security audit? SearchCIO. Retrieved February 18, 2022, from http://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/definition/security-audit

Tunggal, A. T. (2021, November 9). Upguard: What is continuous security monitoring? RSS. Retrieved February 17, 2022, from https://www.upguard.com/blog/continuous-security-monitoring

Yahnke, K. (2017, August 23). I-sight: How to write a workplace theft policy. i-sight. Retrieved February 17, 2022, from https://www.i-sight.com/resources/how-to-write-a-workplace-theft-policy/