Disciplinary action - show cause notice was sent for sharing the password - provide your insights for this type of case

Hi, I have a situation. One of my colleagues shared his password with me and asked me to help in submitting an organizational task. I told him what to do by doing a video call. Now he got a call from HR, and a show cause notice was sent for sharing the password. Will this lead to termination for him? Also, what will be the case for me? Please, someone, provide your insights for this type of case.

Dear friend,

Though you have provided certain details of the incident, to understand your involvement, we need additional details. Therefore, please provide additional information. To make the replies topical, the questions are asked on the extract of the verbatim of your post.

One of my colleagues shared his password...

Q. How did he share the password? Did he use the official email or official WA group or personal means like SMS, WA chat, etc.?

I told him what to do by doing a video call...

Q. How did you do a video call? Was it official through official communication or non-official communication?

Now he got a call from HR and a show cause notice was sent for sharing the password...

Q. How did HR come to know about the communication between both of you? Who leaked this information to them? Was it through the IT department or through some informal sources? Has he given a reply to the show-cause notice? If yes, then has he mentioned that he had a video call with you?

Will this lead to termination for him?

Reply: - It will be difficult to give a reply as it depends on the policy on the data breach.

Also, what will be the case for me?

Reply: - As stated above, your involvement will depend on the reply to the show-cause notice that your colleague gives. If he says that though he had shared his password with you, communication did not take place between both of you and if evidence of the communication does not emerge then chances of your involvement are less.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

1. He shared the password through a WhatsApp call.
2. It's not an official call, and we did a video call on WhatsApp.
3. HR found out from the IT department. Yes, he mentioned the video call in the explanation provided for the show cause.

Ensure there is a single line break between paragraphs.

Dear friend,

If your colleague shared a password through WhatsApp and subsequently you had a call with him on how to fix an issue related to the organizational task, then why was this information not kept confidential by both of you? How was it leaked to the IT Department, and who leaked it? Was it due to loose talk by either or both of you?

Upon receiving the show-cause notice, your colleague could have denied sharing the password. This denial could have been possible if the IT department had the means to track the login through the IP address of the computer.

Anyway, let's hope for the best.

Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar

Sharing of passwords and WA calls is just a story. In the IT sector, coders "love to put their signature in scripts," which may be the point of the hurdle. When it was tested and another signature was found on the code other than the employee's, it could create issues.
An IP change or PC/laptop change may be justified as a technical fault, and the employee may have had to change the instrument or network IP. However, at one time, two persons cannot be logged in with the same login, and finding two signatures in the coding may cause troubles.
The rest of the story is simply shared by employees with their seniors as nobody can track the WA calls by any means.

Sharing a password without permission from the authorized person is definitely an error (deliberately made) that should be investigated. Since a show-cause notice has been issued by HR, the individual is expected to submit a written explanation within the stipulated period mentioned in the SCN.

Ask your friend to submit an unconditional apology for the mistake so that there is a chance that the management may not proceed further with the matter. Since management did not take action against you, you can remain silent.