Snowstorms: Employees Gone Bad Could Mean Potential Disasters for Computer Networks

Your company has probably made plans for a “snowpocalypse” such as updating closings rules and telecommuting policies. And you have your contagious disease and sick-leave policies ready in case a nasty virus strikes your workforce. However, your planning is not done because the idle snow time can expose you to infections that could threaten your company computers—and even your employees’ reputations.

So the snow comes, and it’s not a big deal because in this technological age, your employees can work from home, right? Think again! A Crain’s New York Business report about the recent snowstorm in New York City cites information from EnigmaSoftware that implies workers weren’t just using their company-issued computers to complete their job tasks at home. Instead, some may have been keeping warm by visiting “adult” websites!

The article quotes Patrick Morganelli, Enigma’s senior vice president of technology, as saying that during snowstorms, there tends to be a flurry of visits to pornography sites, introducing infectious malware onto company computer systems.

In fact, he says during last year’s blizzard in Buffalo, malware incidents increased by 60 percent, most caught from adult sites. And, significantly, an adult platform reported its Internet traffic was up 20 percent during the recent New York City storm.

Employees should be aware that malware “could cause major repercussions in their corporate network, and that’s very bad,” Morganelli told Crain’s writer Thornton McEnery. And that could result in an “uncomfortable chat with Human Resources.”

When planning for inclement weather, employers should always make sure that their employees understand that the company computer network is only to be used for work, and that any violation of that policy will result in disciplinary action, including possible termination.