When creating a security strategy to protect the assets of an organization and those who work there, many often think first to shield themselves from outside threats. However, threats can come from the inside, originating from authorized individuals within the organization, known as insider threats. These threats can be difficult to spot and have devastating consequences on the safety of employees and the organization's financial security.
Insider threats are defined by people, either current or former employees, who have been granted access, understanding, or privilege to information about the organization, and use it to do harm. Access to information can take place physically, virtually, or from passing sensitive knowledge between employees that is not released to the public. This access can be taken advantage of, resulting in violence, theft, sabotage, or fraudulent activities.
According to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), studies conducted in 2020 showed that insider threats resulted in an annual financial impact of 130 billion dollars. Those same studies documented over 18,000 workplace assaults affiliated with insider threats. Implementing robust security measures to protect your organization from those within it who mean to do harm is more important than ever. By understanding the different types of insiders and the threats they pose, organizations can be better positioned to identify potential risks and strengthen their security posture.Â
Understanding The Different Types of Insiders
One of the greatest challenges to safeguarding against insider threats is identifying who within an organization poses a risk. Whether harm is done maliciously or even accidentally, identifying ta potential threat is crucial to mitigating damage. Being able to properly identify an insider threat depends on what kind of insider exists.Â
Malicious Insiders:Â These individuals intentionally misuse their access privileges to harm the organization. They may engage in activities such as stealing sensitive data, sabotage, fraud, or espionage. Malicious insiders often have some level of insider knowledge about the organization's systems and processes, which they exploit for monetary gain or to cause harm.
Negligent Insiders: Negligent insiders inadvertently pose security risks due to carelessness, ignorance, or lack of awareness about security protocols and best practices. They may inadvertently expose sensitive information, fall victim to social engineering attacks, or neglect to follow proper security procedures, leading to data breaches or other security incidents.
Compromised Insiders: Compromised insiders are individuals whose credentials or access privileges have been compromised by external threat actors. These individuals may unknowingly facilitate cyberattacks or unauthorized access to the organization's systems and data. Compromised insiders are often targeted through phishing, malware, or other cyber threats aimed at stealing their credentials or exploiting system vulnerabilities.
Out of all three, negligent insiders result in the most number of insider threat incidents. A careless act, such as losing a laptop that can be exploited by a cybercriminal or falling prey to a phishing email, can result in devastating consequences. But any of the types of insiders above can result in a variety of threats.Â
Types of Insider ThreatsÂ
The motivations behind insider threats vary widely between incidents, resulting in an equally wide range of consequences that can occur. Some of the most common types of insider threats are:
Unauthorized Disclosure: Unauthorized disclosure occurs when insiders improperly disclose sensitive or confidential information to unauthorized parties, risking breaches of privacy, legal liability, and reputational damage.
Theft of Intellectual Property:Â Insiders may steal intellectual property, including patents, copyrights, or trademarks, undermining the organization's innovation efforts and competitive position in the market.
Theft: Theft by insiders refers to the unauthorized taking of physical assets or digital resources belonging to the organization, leading to financial losses and potential damage to reputation.
Espionage:Â Espionage involves insiders covertly gathering and transmitting sensitive information to external entities, posing a significant threat to national security or corporate interests.
Harm to Reputation: Harm to reputation by insiders involves actions that tarnish the organization's image, credibility, or goodwill, potentially resulting in loss of trust from stakeholders and customers.
Sabotage: Sabotage involves insiders deliberately disrupting or damaging organizational operations, infrastructure, or systems, with the intent to cause harm or hinder productivity.
Workplace Violence:Â Workplace violence by insiders encompasses physical or verbal aggression towards colleagues, supervisors, or the organization itself, posing risks to employee safety and organizational stability.
Fraud: Fraud by insiders entails deceitful actions aimed at personal gain or financial harm to the organization, often involving falsification of records or manipulation of financial systems.
Acts of Harm to Self or Others: Acts of harm to self or others involve insiders engaging in behaviors that endanger their own well-being or pose threats to the safety and security of colleagues or the organization.
Disruption of Operations:Â Insiders may disrupt operations through intentional actions that disrupt workflow, compromise systems, or cause downtime, leading to financial losses and productivity setbacks.
Theft of Proprietary Information: The theft of proprietary information by insiders involves the unauthorized acquisition or transfer of confidential company data, such as trade secrets or proprietary technology, for personal gain or competitive advantage.
There are countless other types of threats faced by organizations. Implementing comprehensive security throughout your organization aimed at efficiently responding to incidents is the most effective way to reduce the damage caused by these threats or resolve the risk before it occurs.
How To Protect Against Insider Threats
After understanding the types of insiders and the risks they pose, it is important to revise your organization’s security strategy to better respond to them. However, different types of insiders and threats require different approaches. These best practices can assist in identifying and responding to potential threats:
Implement Comprehensive Employee Training: Employees are the first line of defense against security incidents. By training employees to identify risks before they occur and providing clear pathways for them to submit reports, security teams can respond efficiently to incidents. Ensure that employee training clearly outlines the policies of your organization, the most common cybersecurity risks, and the proper way to handle a threat if one does occur.
Provide Pathways for Incident Reporting: Employees within an organization, especially large ones, can often see threats growing before management or security teams can. Unfortunately, they may avoid reporting on these incidents due to fear of retaliation, a lack of understanding of how to properly submit a report, or concerns over confidentiality. Providing clear pathways with the option for anonymous reporting such as Public Portals can encourage employees to speak up on issues when they are noticed, resulting in faster response times.
Utilize Tools For Risk Assessment:Â Using modern tools to document risk indicators can assist in identifying and mitigating potential threats. Through observing behavioral changes, the frequency of related risk activity, and abnormal behavior, employees who may pose a risk can be confronted before a larger incident occurs. With Kaseware, risk factors can be documented and assessed using the WAVR-21 Workplace Violence Assessment Tool.This twenty-one-page questionnaire quantifies the risk an employee may pose, allowing time for intervention before violence takes place.Â
To learn more about the services available through Kaseware for combating insider threats, click here to schedule a free demo of the platform.