Prevalence of Insider Threats

Insider cybersecurity threats are more common than many people realize. According to a 2024 report, 83% of organizations reported at least one insider attack in the last year. Organizations that experienced 11-20 insider attacks saw an increase of five times the number of attacks as they did in 2023. The report also found that 92% of organizations find insider attacks equally or more challenging to detect than external cyberattacks. Several factors contribute to this escalating problem:

• Complicated IT environments: The rise of remote and hybrid work models, coupled with widespread cloud adoption, has created more complex operational structures that are harder to manage and secure.
• Inadequate security measures: Many businesses struggle to keep up with the latest security best practices and rely on outdated protocols to protect their digital assets.
• Lack of employee training and awareness: Many employees are not adequately trained to recognize and avoid the risks they might introduce, inadvertently or otherwise.
• Weak enforcement policies: While most organizations recognize the importance of strict visibility and control, many lack the tools and solutions to effectively manage insider threats.

Types of Threats Within an Organization

Insider threats are classified into two main categories: malicious and unintentional.

Malicious Threats

Malicious cybersecurity insider threats are those carried out with the intent of harming an organization. These threats can be motivated by financial gain, revenge, or ideology. It’s important to note that these acts are rarely spontaneous; they usually result from a deliberate decision to act. Some examples of malicious insider threats include espionage, sabotage, and fraud.

Unintentional Threats

Unintentional insider threats are those caused by negligence, carelessness, or a lack of awareness. Some examples include:

• Mishandling sensitive data: Accidentally sharing confidential information with unauthorized individuals.
• Failing to follow security procedures: Willfully ignoring basic practices like using strong passwords or updating software.
• The Well-Intentioned Misguided Person (WIMP): This rather impolite acronym is assigned to employees eager to help and solve problems who may inadvertently compromise security by exchanging sensitive content or using insecure devices and networks outside of the office.

While unintentional insiders are not typically motivated by malicious intent, their actions may instead be an unfortunate by-product of convenience – taking shortcuts or ignoring security procedures – or a lack of awareness and training.

Evolving Tactics

It’s also important to be aware of the ever-changing tactics used by threat actors to exploit insider threats. For example, many are using AI-driven communication to conduct highly personalized social engineering attacks, making it easier to manipulate insiders and bypass security measures.

Top Targets

Certain roles within an organization can be particularly attractive to cybercriminals due to their access privileges and the sensitive information they handle. A couple of the more commonly targeted  roles include:

• IT Help Desk: Help desk personnel often have administrative privileges and control over allow/deny lists, which could be exploited to install remote administration tools and maintain persistent access.
• Human Resources: HR personnel handle sensitive employee information, including payroll and health records.

• Privileged Users: Employees like system administrators and high-level executives actually pose the most significant insider threat risk due to their elevated access to critical systems and data. Any error, compromise, or malicious act by a privileged user can have severe consequences for the organization.

Offense is the Best Defense

Organizations can take a number of steps to defend against insider cybersecurity threats. A comprehensive approach to insider threat prevention should involve understanding motivations, conducting threat assessments, and implementing appropriate policies, training, and oversight. Some best practices include:

1. Identify sensitive and valuable data resources: Organizations need visibility into their IT environment to classify data based on sensitivity and value. High-value data should receive extra protection, requiring business justification for access.
2. Enforce robust authentication and authorization procedures: Implement a policy of least privilege, ensuring only authorized personnel have access to valuable data. Multi-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security by requiring multiple forms of verification.
3. Develop an organizational data handling policy: Create a policy that specifies who can use specific data resources and how they should be used. Automated data loss prevention (DLP) platforms can help enforce this policy and address violations.
4. Implement comprehensive cybersecurity training programs: Educate employees on a regular basis on cybersecurity issues and policies. Provide additional training whenever policy violations occur.
5. Monitor potential insider threat indicators: Be aware of abnormal or suspicious activity, such as repeated attempts to access restricted data or requests for elevated privileges that don’t align with job functions.
6. Deploy a data loss prevention solution: A DLP solution enforces the data handling policy and restricts unauthorized access, preventing trusted insiders from making data-handling mistakes that could put the business at risk.

These strategies help organizations protect their valuable IT resources and mitigate the risk of insider cybersecurity threats.