Your company is contracted to perform IT services for a local government agency. During routine maintenance, you discover unencrypted files containing sensitive employee data, including social security numbers, on a public file server. What is the BEST course of action to take in accordance with standard IT operational procedures?
Ignore the unencrypted files as it is not part of the task assigned to you.
Encrypt the files yourself in order to protect the sensitive data.
Move the documents to a more secured location on the network that you think is safe.
Report the discovery of unencrypted personal data immediately to your supervisor or management.
Check if TLS or SSL is enabled before alerting anyone to the issue.
When you come across unencrypted sensitive data such as personal government-issued information, the priority is to ensure its protection according to legal and company data handling policies. The correct course of action is to inform your supervisor or the appropriate management personnel immediately so that the incident can be managed correctly, steps can be taken to secure the data, and necessary compliance procedures are followed. It is important not to ignore the discovery, as this could lead to potential data breaches. Encrypting the files without authorization may go beyond the scope of your responsibilities and could potentially alter or damage the files, so it is not advisable. Moving the documents without reporting it does not address the potential breach protocol and underlying security issue, making this option incorrect as well.
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Why is it important to report the discovery of unencrypted sensitive data immediately?
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What steps should be taken after reporting the unencrypted data?