Who may unknowingly or maliciously assist outside parties in gaining access to a network?

The correct answer is that an employee may unknowingly or maliciously assist outside parties in gaining access to a network. Employees often have legitimate access to company resources and can inadvertently compromise security through careless actions, such as falling for phishing attempts or mishandling sensitive information. Additionally, in more malicious scenarios, an employee may act intentionally to facilitate unauthorized access, whether for personal gain or other reasons.

While auditors typically have access to systems to assess security and compliance, their role is generally focused on evaluation rather than engagement in activities that would facilitate unauthorized access. War drivers actively seek out unsecured networks but do not relate to the context of authorized network access. Hackers, on the other hand, typically seek to exploit vulnerabilities without legitimate access to a system, rather than working from within an organization. Thus, the employee stands out as the most relevant option regarding both unintentional and intentional assistance in security breaches.