What You Need To Know About Insider Threats

We also have this information in video format. 

An insider threat refers to the risk or potential harm posed to an organization's data, systems, or security by individuals who have authorized access to the organization's resources. These individuals could be current/ former employees, contractors, or business partners who possess knowledge, privileges, and/or access rights within the organization's systems and networks.

Insider threats can be intentional or unintentional. Intentional threats occur when insiders purposefully misuse or abuse their access privileges for personal gain. This can mean stealing sensitive data, intellectual property, financial information, or sabotaging systems.

Unintentional threats is, you guessed it, the opposite. It’s when employees' or insiders' negligence, carelessness, or lack of awareness about security best practices, leading to accidental data breaches or system vulnerabilities.

Insider threats are considered significant because insiders often have legitimate access to sensitive information. They can exploit their authorized privileges, making it more challenging to detect their activities compared to external threats.

They may have a deep understanding of the organization's infrastructure, security protocols, and weak points, enabling them to bypass or subvert security measures.

Organizations implement a variety of measures to mitigate insider threats. This can mean putting in user access controls, authentication mechanisms, monitoring systems, and security awareness training. These measures aim to identify suspicious behavior, detect anomalies, and minimize the risk posed by insiders. Additionally, organizations may enforce data segregation, separation of duties, and regular security audits to minimize the potential damage caused by insider threats.

Addressing insider threats requires a multi-layered approach that combines technological solutions, employee education, and organizational policies to create a robust security posture.

Please reach out if you have any questions.