Insider Threat – Define and Defend

When you think of cybersecurity threats to your company, you’re almost always thinking about threats from outside your sphere. Dark Web profiteers. Competitors. Malicious hacking groups. Cybercriminals. But are you considering the possibility that an insider threat can be the biggest risk to your organization?

Taking a deep dive into what really constitutes an insider threat can give you a better chance of spotting and defending against them before they cause your security to become compromised.

Intentional Threats: Malicious Insiders

Malicious insiders are people who are inside your company that are deliberately abusing their access to systems and data. In 2019, 23% of cybersecurity incidents were caused by malicious insiders.

Malicious insiders could be:

  • Bad actors who got a job at your company just to steal your information or gain access to your systems.
  • Disgruntled or former employees who want to gain vengeance on your company or damage its reputation.
  • Employees who sell secrets or information on the Dark Web just to make money.
  • Staffers who are being blackmailed into providing information or access.
  • Corporate saboteurs who are working for your competition and want to steal your secrets or harm your business.
  • Profiteers who don’t seek to harm your business specifically, but do want to acquire information that your company has for a nefarious purpose.

Unintentional Threats: Accidental Actors

Human error is the biggest cause of a data breach. As long as you’re in business, insider threats from accidental actors making bad judgments will always be a threat to your security. More than 60% of cybersecurity incidents are caused by accidental actors.

Accidental actors could be:

  • Staffers who download bad files.
  • Assistants that click malicious links.
  • Employees who recycle passwords.
  • Administrators who share their login credential for convenience.
  • Executives who accidentally share privileged information.
  • Users who write their passwords down and lose them.
  • Supervisors who make weak, common passwords.
  • Programmers who fail to secure a database.
  • Managers that get taken in by spear phishing.

Stay On Guard To Stay Safe

One of the best ways to guard against the damage that comes from insider threats is to employ Dark Web Monitoring. This solution helps mitigate insider threats with:

  • 24/7/365 monitoring and analysis using human and machine intelligence.
  • Monitoring for highly privileged email and login credential like executives and administrators.
  • Fast alerts if your data or credentials hit the Dark Web.
  • Peace of mind knowing that you’re actively protecting your data and systems.
  • A more complete picture of your vulnerabilities and security posture.
  • Affordable protection that aids in compliance and deploys in days, not weeks.

Another recommended course of action would be to enroll your team in a Cyber Defense Training Program, where they will learn:

  • The latest threats to your business
  • How Cyber Criminals prey on potential victims
  • How to identify potential risks
  • When and how to notify the proper authorities about a threat
  • Testing simulations of phishing emails

Increasing cyber security measures across the board will have the largest return on your investment to securing mission critical data and hardware. If you are unsure about the current state of your defense methods, please reach out to our dedicated experts who can craft a plan to help secure your business.