One of the most overlooked cybersecurity risks occurs during employee onboarding and offboarding, when you bring on new talent or part ways with team members. Hardening your organization's cybersecurity at every step of the employee lifecycle should be a top priority for any organization that wants to protect sensitive data and maintain operational integrity.
Here is a structured checklist to ensure access is granted securely during onboarding and revoked immediately during offboarding.
Secure Onboarding
Onboarding a new employee isn’t just about setting up an email account and checking off HR paperwork. It should establish secure daily habits that follow your organization's best practices guidelines and apply the Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP) from day one.
If you are unfamiliar with the concept, the Principle of Least Privilege is a core cybersecurity principle stating that users, devices, or applications should have only the minimum access needed to perform their job functions, nothing more, and only for as long as necessary. Therefore, an employee who doesn’t need access to a certain network will not have digital access.
Before an Employee’s Start Day
Before your new employee's first day, your IT department should coordinate with HR to ensure a smooth, secure transition. Behind-the-scenes steps include procuring job-specific hardware, setting up role-based access controls, and running a standard background check to verify the employee's identity.
Confirm Employee ID
Conduct a background check before handing over digital keys and granting access to the company’s secure network.
Hardware Procurement
Set up company laptops and/or phones ahead of time, and enable encryption.
Role-Based Access Control
Give the employee access to the system and network based upon their specific job duties, rather than blanket access. Instead of copying a coworker's full permissions, which often include years of accumulated access, the IT department only assigns permissions tied strictly to the job title. For instance, a marketing specialist gets access to social platforms and CMS tools, but zero access to financial databases or server infrastructure.
Provisioning & Credential Setup
Once the laptop, desktop, and phone are procured and access control is determined, IT needs to set up the employee’s digital identity and lock down how they log into company systems. Think of this like giving a new employee their company ID badge, setting up their room key, and installing security cameras in their workspace.
Digital ID Setup
Set up a centralized identity for each new employee. Instead of creating separate logins for email, file storage, chat apps, and HR software, IT creates one main master account. When the employee logs into their work computer, that single ID automatically grants access to all authorized apps.
Device & Network Security
To secure work devices and connections, IT enrolls every laptop and phone into a central management system that allows remote tracking and data wiping if a device is lost or stolen. They also issue secure, individual network keys for remote work, lock down unused USB ports, and block unauthorized downloads to keep outside threats off the network.
Enforce Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Require the use of MFA. This step forces the employee to verify their identity with a second step, such as tapping "Approve" in an authenticator app on their phone or using a physical security USB key. Even if a hacker steals the password, they can't log in without that second verification step.
Password Manager Assignment
To keep employees from putting your organization at risk with weak passwords, give them access to your company password manager so they can track all their passwords. LastPass or 1Password can help create unique passwords and manage the clients and accounts they will need during their tenure at your business.
Endpoint Protection Deployment
Install an active security guard software directly on the employee's computer and any other technology they will use. This antivirus software can protect against suspicious activity 24/7. It automatically updates the device with fixes and patches, protecting against the latest threats.
Security Awareness Training
Start on day one and continue with regular training, introducing new hires to core company security policies, such as password hygiene and keeping sensitive documents off unattended desks. This will establish safe digital habits right away. Then, enroll them in regular security awareness training and mock phishing tests to help them recognize and report real-world cyber threats.
Secure Offboarding
While onboarding can happen over days and weeks, especially the security training aspect of the checklist, offboarding requires speed and precision. Lingering access can be a threat if the employee is disgruntled or is leaving under questionable circumstances.
Immediate Action at Departure
Protect the security of your organization’s networks and data during offboarding by having Human Resources and the IT department deactivate the employee’s accounts and access. Log out any active sessions that may still be open, and revoke access at the primary directory level. IT should also clear registered authentication devices, hardware keys, and backup recovery codes.
Asset Retrieval
Retrieve assets such as laptops, desktops, or phones. Collect physical access items, such as key fobs and keycards.
Access Audit
After the employee leaves the premises, audit their accounts, including rerouting email and all communications to another team member or leader, reassigning documents and shared drives, and resetting credentials.
A Final Word
By establishing a robust onboarding and offboarding process, your organization can significantly minimize cybersecurity risks, protect sensitive data, and ensure seamless workforce transitions. Enforcing the Principle of Least Privilege, deploying proactive device protection, and revoking access promptly upon departure are critical steps to maintaining a secure network infrastructure. If you need help refining your cybersecurity strategies or setting up comprehensive onboarding and offboarding protocols, contact Spectra Networks today to speak with our experts.