Data Protection Tips

Wait, Why Do They Have Access to That?

Too many people have access to your company’s data? That’s a recipe for a breach. Learn 3 easy ways to reduce access risk—without slowing your team down.

Written by
Steven Choong
Published on
April 29, 2025
Accidental data exposure happens when too many people have access. Learn 3 simple ways to tighten access controls and protect your business from risk.
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Who sees what? That’s where breaches begin.

Picture this: your marketing intern is looking for campaign assets on a shared drive and stumbles upon a spreadsheet with customer NRICs.

She forwards it to your creative agency—innocently trying to help.

But that one click? It just triggered a compliance nightmare.

That’s how most data breaches happen. Not by hackers in hoodies, but by well-meaning employees with too much access.

Too Many People, Too Much Risk

Every extra person who can access personal data is a new point of failure.

More access = more chances of:

  • Emails going to the wrong recipient
  • Files being copied, shared, or stored carelessly
  • Violations of PDPA or other laws you didn’t even realize you were breaking

You wouldn’t give the office intern your company’s safe combination.

So why give them access to sensitive data?

3 Easy Fixes to Reduce Your Risk Today

Here’s how to lock down access—fast.

1. Audit Your Access List—Right Now

Open your shared drives, CRMs, email platforms.

Who can view personal data? Who can edit?

Remove access for anyone who doesn’t need to see it.

Tip: Start with former staff or vendors you no longer work with—low-hanging fruit.

2. Use Role-Based Permissions

Don’t leave access decisions to chance.

Set clear roles—HR only sees employee info. Marketing only sees newsletter signups.

Limit access by function, not trust.

It’s not personal—it’s protection.

3. Train Your Team on “Need to Know”

Build a culture where limited access is the default.

Remind your team: If you’re not sure whether you should have access… you probably shouldn’t.

Even better—require approval before sensitive data access is granted.

Real Talk: This Isn’t About Blame. It’s About Building Safer Systems.

In most companies, data overexposure isn’t malicious—it’s accidental.

But regulators don’t care whether the breach was intentional or not.

They care about whether you took reasonable steps to prevent it.

Next Step: Review Your Data Access Today

You don’t need to overhaul your whole system.

Start small: pick one folder, one tool, one team—and cut back access by 20%.

You’ll instantly lower your risk, without disrupting your operations.

Are You Still Sharing Too Much?

Want to prevent accidental data exposure? Contact our team or explore our DPO services to review your access controls and reduce your compliance risk.

Steven Choong
April 29, 2025
2
min read
Data Protection Tips

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