A consultant has been hired by the V.P. of a large financial organization to assess the company's security posture. During the security testing, the consultant comes across child pornography on the V.P.'s computer. What is the consultant's obligation to the financial organization?

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A consultant has been hired by the V.P. of a large financial organization to assess the company's security posture. During the security testing, the consultant comes across child pornography on the V.P.'s computer. What is the consultant's obligation to the financial organization?

Accepted Answer

B. Stop work immediately and contact the authorities. Child pornography is a federal crime, and any person who discovers it - including a hired consultant - is legally obligated to report it to law enforcement immediately. Continuing work, deleting the content, or routing it through HR would constitute obstruction of justice or destruction of evidence. The professional relationship with the client does not override the legal duty to report.

Answer

A. Say nothing and continue with the security testing. Ignoring illegal content makes the consultant potentially liable as an accessory and violates mandatory reporting obligations under federal law.

Answer

C. Delete the pornography, say nothing, and continue security testing. Deleting evidence of a crime constitutes destruction of evidence, which is itself a criminal act.

Answer

D. Bring the discovery to the financial organization's human resource department. HR departments have no law enforcement authority and are not the appropriate body to handle federal criminal matters involving child exploitation.

A consultant has been hired by the V.P. of a large financial organization to assess the company's security posture. During the security testing, the consultant comes across child pornography on the V.

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