What Are Insider Threats in Cyber Security? A Complete Overview
In the world of cyber threats, we hear about different types of challenges, each varying in their degree of gravity and repercussions. One such threat that you might frequently hear about could be insider threats. What is meant by insider threats? What are their signs, and how do they affect a business or organization? All your doubts and concerns are addressed in detail in this blog.
What is an Insider Threat?
Insider threat, as one can figure out from the phrase itself, is a type of threat that originates from inside. In other words, they are threats posed by people within an organization either with a vested interest or sometimes even by sheer ignorance.
Types of Insider Threats in Cyber Security
Based on their nature, context, and degree of gravity, insider threats are grouped into different types, such as:
- Third-party threats:
- Coordinated threats:
- Planned threats:
- Unintended threats:
- Hostile threats:
Third-party threats
Third-party insider threats occur when individuals or organizations that are not direct employees but work on a contract basis for an organization gain access to its sensitive data or essential systems and pose security risks.
Coordinated threats
Coordinated threats involve an insider collaborating with an outside attacker to compromise the security of an organization or steal data. To initiate the attack, the insider would share their knowledge of the organization’s vulnerabilities with the attacker.
Planned threats
Planned threats are deliberate and pre-planned attacks by insiders within an organization to cause damage, steal sensitive data, or disrupt operations. The motivation for such actions could be financial gain or revenge.
Unintended threats
Unintended threats result from accidental, ignorant, or negligent actions by insiders, for instance, misconfiguration of systems or mishandling of important data. Such unintentional actions lead to security breaches and severe damage to the organization.
Hostile threats
Hostile threats are another common insider threat that organizations face. They involve hostile actions by insiders, such as sabotage or data theft, driven by a desire to harm the organization due to dissatisfaction with management or similar reasons.
How to Identify Insider Threats in Cyber Security?
Effective insider threat management requires identifying them at the outset. Here are some strategies and techniques to help you determine if you are exposed to insider threat risks.
- Irregular patterns of account or user activity, including unusual login locations or times.
- Accessing company resources or data at unusual hours, from unfamiliar locations, or using unknown devices without authorization.
- Attempts to bypass access controls or reach restricted resources, such as files, systems, or applications,.
- Using unauthorized or unsecured remote devices to connect to company systems or networks.
- Unexpected surges in network activity or data transfers, without any justifiable reasons for the same.
- Sending suspicious or unauthorized emails, messages, or data to external recipients.
- Employees show abnormal behavior or sudden changes in their attitude, for instance, excessive negativity or sudden disengagement.
- Signs of too much data usage, possibly stealing sensitive information without permission or proper authorization.
- Sending suspicious, unauthorized, or sensitive information via email, messages, or data transfers to external recipients without management consent.
How To Protect Against an Insider Attack: Best Practices?
Safeguarding your business against insider threats requires multiple mitigation strategies. Here are some of the best insider threat solutions and practices:.
Safeguard all important assets and data
Safeguard all your critical IT assets and sensitive data proactively as a precaution against any potential chances of insider security threat examples.
Improve transparency and visibility
Make sure that there is real-time monitoring for every user activity. By keeping all actions visible, the likelihood of any suspicious or malicious activity can be quickly tracked.
Implement effective security protocols
By implementing robust security protocols, an insider threat management solution can be effectively established. A comprehensive approach is needed to detect, prevent, and respond to threats.
Encourage a security-conscious environment
Encourage a workplace culture that is security-conscious through regular training, clear communication of policies, and rewarding those who follow the best practices.
Examples of Insider Threats in Cyber Security
Here are a few insider threat examples to help you understand the gravity of them in a real-world context.
- In 2020, tech giant Google faced an insider threat when executive Anthony Scott Levandowski leaked a secret formula about the company’s self-driving cars. Levandowski subsequently joined Uber as an employee, where he used the stolen information to benefit his career.
- In 2007, UBS banker Bradley Birkenfeld stole client data on behalf of US authorities. The act exposed multiple instances of tax evasion, which forced the company to pay out $780 million on settlement and compliance upgrades.
- In 2020, Christopher Dobbins, a former Stradis Healthcare employee, sought revenge after being terminated from his post. Using his knowledge of confidential data security, he hacked into the company’s system and deleted as many as 120,000 records. It led to disruptions in the company’s supply chain.
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Conclusion
Despite collective efforts to enhance cyber security, insider threats remain a significant challenge for organizations. Understanding how these threats can surface is essential to proactively preventing them. The insights into threats and insider risk management strategies covered in this blog should provide you with valuable guidance. For all your professional insider threat mitigation needs, know that our team offers expert assistance and support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Internal threats Cybersecurity refers to intentional or unintentional security challenges caused by individuals within an organization. They are also known as insider threats in cyber security.
The best description for an insider threat could be a security risk posed by a trusted employee within an organization who uses their knowledge of confidential data, access, and privileges to steal or harm the organization’s assets.
Organizations can minimize insider threat damage by ensuring regular monitoring of user activities, limiting access to secure data, and reporting any suspicious behaviour once it occurs.
Insider threat policy is a key component of insider threat programs. It explains measures that the organization must take to detect, thwart, and respond to risks posed by individuals within the organization.
The most frequent types of insider threats include negligent employees, disgruntled employees, and malicious insiders. All of these threat actors can cause critical damage to an organization’s assets.
Jim Jacob is the founder of Cyberguard. He is an IT professional who has 21 years of professional experience in the tech field. Cybergurad is the product of his vision to share the knowledge gained from his career through the power of words. He is an expert at explaining complex tech concepts in simple language and has written numerous articles on IT and Cybersecurity.
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