The "Secret" USB Drive Scenario

Let's paint a little scenario and see what you would do.

You have been working at a new IT firm for almost a year now. You have really gotten to know your coworkers and get along very well with each one of them. One day, a coworker supplies you with a zip file from his USB drive. This zip file contains documents you need to help out a customer. When he gives you his USB drive, you plug it in and open it up. He tells you "Yeah it should be right there the first directory." You hesitate when you see a directory named "Coworker info". You open the "Coworker info" directory to see that there is information including pictures of you and your coworkers. You know that this isn't right, and should be reported, but if you report it, can your coworker come back and accuse you of snooping around his data? What would you do in this situation?

When it comes to IT Security, there are a number of situations and scenarios that ethics play a huge role. With an increase in data on a daily basis, there is a ton of data out there that contains sensitive and private information. That is why more often than not, there are laws and regulations in place to help us avoid scenarios like the one listed above. There are protections in place to make sure that if we do see something unethical, that we can come forward and make sure that the correct actions take place. With so much information out there, we need to make sure we are handling it properly. If you suspect there is something or someone mishandling personal information, don't be afraid to speak up!

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