On 17 September 2008, hackers posted messages on the Web from the Yahoo e-mail account of Governor Sarah Palin. They did it by guessing the answer to the password reset question she'd set - An answer she had conveniently shared with reporters in an interview she'd done earlier in the year.
The incident highlights the need for a proactive approach to managing consumer services, education/awareness and clear understandable policy. In Palin's case, there was a policy, but as this incident demonstrates, users often ignore / are misinformed about the policy.
The case also highlights the need to understand and assess the risk profile of the individual - what's at stake in the worst case scenario. In Governor Palins case, if a risk assessment had been done it would have become rapidly apparent that any services she utilizes, paper based or electronic are / will be at high risk.
Fortunately, we're not running election campaigns - but we do have to do our utmost to fulfill our 'corporate responsibilities' and protect our corporate brand asset. That's where workforce segmentation plays an essential part (more on this in a later blog).
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