Insider threats are a cyber security problem causing heavy havoc in many organizations and businesses as their data get into cyber attackers’ hands. Organizations must act fast and effectively if they want to curb the issue of insider threats in their organization.

This article will act as a guide to the meaning of insider threats, the different types, and how you can stop them from ruining your organization or business.

What Are Insider Threats?

Insider threats are cyber-attacks perpetrated and spearheaded by those with legitimate access to an organization’s data and resources. In most cases, insider threats are caused by employees who might knowingly or unknowingly enable the successful attack of an organization. Insider threats don’t necessarily have to come from current employees; those who are former employees, contractors, and business associates of a company can easily launch an insider attack.

Categories of Insider Threats

 ●       Unintentional Insider Threat

An unintentional insider threat, also known as a careless insider threat, is a situation whereby someone with legitimate access to a company exposes their data to risk due to carelessness. Unintentional insider threats can be caused by the employees of an organization, business associates, and third-party vendors who employ insecure methods while handling data.

Different scenarios can make some working for a company or organization to cause an unintentional insider threat. One includes failing to protect their credentials, such as passwords, usernames, and other company resources. Failing to install necessary updates on an organization’s web systems and browsers contributes to unintentional insider threats. To always keep up with updates needed for browsers and other web access systems, getting a cyber security solution like LayerX would be a great decision.

●       Compromised Credentials

Compromised Credentials are a major concern for organizations, as it costs them millions of dollars assuming a cyber attack is successful. A compromised credential insider threat is when the employee of a company compromises their credentials, and a hacker or cybercriminal lays their hands on them. When these cybercriminals lay their hands on these credentials (it can be usernames and passwords), they can now log into the organization’s portals and steal information.

An employee’s credentials can get compromised in many ways, but the prominent mode is that cybercriminals might pose as business associates requesting such information. They can pretend to be business adversaries and ask employees to input their credentials on a malicious website. Through this way and by guessing employees’ passwords, attackers can easily access data that should be kept secret. One of the first steps to curb this issue is to use a browser security platform for your business but there are other preventive measures..

●       Deliberate Insider Threat

A deliberate insider threat is when someone working for an organization or a business associate willfully decides to work with cyber criminals to steal the organization’s data. Intentional insider threat happens mostly because the employee releasing the information to cybercriminals wants to benefit from such an attack or harm the organization.

Many reasons contribute to employees or business associates willfully sharing data that would harm their organization. One of them is to take revenge against the organization, maybe because of unfair treatment from the organization. In other scenarios, many willfully release their organization’s data to achieve a competitive advantage with a new business they are planning. Lastly, a deliberate insider threat happens because someone with access to important company data intends to leak it in exchange for money.

How To Detect An Insider Threat in Any Organization

●       Behavioral Changes

A good indicator of an upcoming insider attack often lies with an employee or business associate that is disgruntled or feels cheated in a business deal. Another thing to watch out for is that someone planning to leak data in an organization might be working off-hours and start showing resentment towards their fellow hackers.

●       Signing Into Applications at Unusual Times

An employee planning to wreak havoc in a company would want to do such when no one is around, so they will try to log in at unusual work times. Assuming work closes by 5 pm in the evening, they would try to log into the organization applications at unusual times like 3 am when everyone would probably be sleeping.

●       Deliberate Search For Sensitive Data

Another indicator to watch out for is that someone planning an insider threat would be deliberately searching for information they aren’t supposed to have access to.

●       Use of Unauthorized Devices

Watch out for any employee or business associate who carries unauthorized devices like USB drives to copy information.

How To Mitigate Insider Threat in Any Organization

●       Increase Organization’s Data Usage Visibility

Lack of visibility is a major contributor to insider threats, as most organizations don’t even know what is happening until they finally see their data getting stolen or leaked. To ensure maximum visibility and protection of web resources and data, deploying solutions like LayerX would help an organization.

●       Classify data

An organization should know data that is more important than others, classify them as such, and help them deploy appropriate security procedures.

●       Enforce policies

An organization should have a set of rules and regulations guiding them, and these policies must be enforced to ensure employees keep to them. Multi-factor authentication methods should also be deployed to ensure employees are properly identified and verified before accessing data.

●       Threat Detection Should be a Priority

An organization should do everything possible to ensure that threat detection is its priority over anything else. This way, they easily detect any insider threat in its early stages before cybercriminals do any damage.

●       Educate Employees

Sometimes employees are insider threats unknowingly, so they must be educated to know the risks they pose with some of their insecure actions.

Conclusion

Insider threats happen when an employee or any other person with proper access to an organization helps outsiders or cyber attackers launch successful attacks on an organization. There are many types of insider threats, such as the ones caused unintentionally and intentionally by an insider. To mitigate an insider threat, an organization must monitor employee activities and enforce security policies consistently.

• SEO Powered Content & PR Distribution. Get Amplified Today.
• PlatoData.Network Vertical Generative Ai. Empower Yourself. Access Here.
• PlatoAiStream. Web3 Intelligence. Knowledge Amplified. Access Here.
• PlatoESG. Automotive / EVs, Carbon, CleanTech, Energy, Environment, Solar, Waste Management. Access Here.
• BlockOffsets. Modernizing Environmental Offset Ownership. Access Here.
• Source: https://www.fintechnews.org/understanding-insider-threats-and-how-to-defend-from-them/