Homework Help: Questions and Answers: You have a call center that handles inquiries into billing issues for multiple medical facilities. You notice the call center agents often walk away from their workstations, leaving patient data visible for anyone to see. What can you do to prevent data theft within the call center?
A. Encrypt the workstation hard drives.
B. Lock the workstations after five minutes of inactivity.
C. Install privacy screens.
D. Log off the users when their workstations are not in use.
Answer:
First, let’s understand the question: It’s about to address the issue of call center agents leaving their workstations unattended, resulting in visible patient data, the focus should be on minimizing unauthorized access to sensitive information.
Given Options: Step by Step Answering
a) Encrypt the workstation hard drives
- Encryption protects the data stored on the hard drives in case the physical devices are stolen or compromised. However, this does not prevent someone from seeing sensitive data on an active screen if the agent leaves the workstation unattended.
- While encryption is important, it doesn’t solve the problem of data visibility when the screen is left on.
- It doesn’t address the issue of visible data on screens
b) Lock the workstations after five minutes of inactivity
- Automatically locking the workstation after a short period of inactivity would ensure that the screen is locked when the agent is away, preventing unauthorized viewing of patient data.
- This is a good option, as it addresses the specific issue of leaving the screen exposed.
- It directly addresses the problem of visible data when agents walk away.
c) Install privacy screens
- Privacy screens make it harder for people standing nearby to see what’s on the screen unless they’re directly in front of it. This can help reduce the chances of someone casually viewing sensitive information.
- This could reduce visual exposure but doesn’t prevent unauthorized access if the workstation is left unattended.
- It helps prevent casual observation but doesn’t secure the workstation
d) Log off the users when their workstations are not in use
- Logging off users would protect patient data, but it’s less practical, as agents would need to repeatedly log in, disrupting workflow. It may add unnecessary overhead without a more seamless solution like screen locking.
- Although it provides protection, it’s less user-friendly and efficient compared to automatic locking.
Final Answer
Based on the above analysis, the correct answer is:
b) Lock the workstations after five minutes of inactivity
This is correct because:
- Automatically secures the workstation without relying on user action.
- Prevents unauthorized viewing of patient data when the agent is away.
- Addresses the specific problem mentioned in the question.
Learn More: Homework Help
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