Ex-employees still have access? The hidden cyber threat nobody talks about

THE SHADOW EXPLOYEE

- ASHLEY LECHMAN

WHEN an employee leaves an organisation, most leaders focus on succession, handovers and HR paperwork. But behind the scenes, another risk often goes unchecked: the “shadow employee”.

Retaining access to company systems long after they’ve left, these ex-staft members pose a serious cybersecurity threat that can lead to data breaches, financial loss and reputational damage, even if everyone parted ways with smiles, hugs and pizza.

According to a recent study, 89% of former employees keep valid logins, while 45% retain access to confidential data after departure. Most disturbingly, almost half admitted to continuing to access company systems after leaving. “The shadow employee phenomenon is more common than many realise, particularly in organisations with high staff turnover or fragmented and cloud-based systems,” said Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy and Evangelist at KnowBeé Africa.

She said that it often goes undetected because access management tends to focus more on onboarding than offboarding. “When IT and HR operate in silos or access isn't centrally tracked, it’s easy for credentials, thirdparty accounts or shadow IT tools to be overlooked. It shouldn't be seen as just a technical issue; it's a human one, too, where attention to digital hygiene and processes are lacking,” Collard said.

Risks of rogue access