A terminated employee caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and significant project delays after their company failed to revoke their system access, allowing them to delete files, lock out accounts, and corrupt a database. The lapse occurred because HR and IT each assumed the other was responsible for cutting off access, leaving the former employee's credentials active for several days. The incident highlights the need for clear offboarding protocols, including same-day access revocation and regular reviews of shared admin credentials.
