Dive Brief:

• Job candidate information is becoming more at risk for internet crime. Iberdrola USA ,the online job site, was hacked and information on 5,100 applicants was made vulnerable. Even the government is not immune, the federal Office of Personnel Management fell prey to internet thieves when the background records were leaked from its databases.

• Matt Cullina, who contributes to Recruiting Trends, states, "Job candidates entrust organizations with an alarming amount of personal information every single day. Unfortunately, the methods and practices used to manage, protect and even destroy that data aren't always as secure as they should be."

• Cullina advises that the legal ramifications of data breaches are serious and costly. Repeat information breaches can lead to an organization developing a negative reputation as well as the obligation to undergo a thorough investigation as to the cause of the data loss, notification and protective financial actions, and possible lawsuits from affected individuals. 

Dive Insight:

It is the duty of organizations to protect sensitive information. A prevention plan can be put into place to protect information when it's gathered, shared, and stored.

HR can do its part by bringing candidate data into the employee data security process from day one. All forms and application tracking systems must have the proper level of security. Checking with the third-party provider to determine this is a must. All candidate data should then be stored away from employees' information, with restrictive access only to those who need it — two actions that can reduce risk in a data breach.