Glossary Home

Insider Threat

What is an insider threat?

An insider threat refers to risks posed by individuals with access to an organization’s physical or digital assets. These can include current or former employees, contractors, vendors, or business partners who have, or once had, authorized access to the organization's network and systems.

How are they categorized?

Insider threats are broadly classified into three categories. They are:

• Intentional or malicious insider threat: 
  This threat occurs when individuals deliberately harm an organization for personal gain or revenge. It may involve current or former employees, third parties, or partners who exploit their access to steal company data or intellectual property for purposes such as fraud, sabotage, blackmail, or retaliation.
• Unintentional or negligent insider threat: 
  This threat occurs when people accidentally cause harm due to carelessness or mistakes. Employees who lack security awareness may unknowingly expose or misuse sensitive data, often by falling for scams, losing devices, or sending emails and files to the wrong people.
• Compromised or other insider threat : 
  This threat occurs when an attacker gains unauthorized access to an organization by stealing or exploiting legitimate employee credentials. Such access allows the attacker to bypass security measures, retrieve sensitive data, and potentially cause harm. The compromise can happen with or without the employee’s knowledge or consent.

How insider threats compromise security and trust?

Insider threats can cause data leaks, financial losses, damage to the company’s reputation and most importantly, the loss of customer trust. Since insiders already have access, these threats can be hard to spot without proper measures. Here are some real-world examples of insider threats that have led to major cybersecurity breaches and financial losses:

• A malicious insider threat occurred at networking giant Cisco. The company failed to properly audit who had access to its resources, which allowed a disgruntled former employee to misuse his access. The former employee deployed malware across the network, resulting in the deletion of 16,000 user accounts and causing $2.5 million in damage. This incident highlights the serious risks posed by insiders with privileged access, particularly when access control is not carefully managed.
• In 2019, a security researcher uncovered that Microsoft had failed to secure their customer databases properly, exposing over 250 million customer records online. This incident serves as an example of negligent insider threats, where oversight or errors in securing sensitive data can lead to significant vulnerabilities.
• The 2020 Twitter Hack illustrates a compromised insider threat, where attackers used social engineering to trick Twitter employees into sharing their credentials. This access allowed hackers to take control of high-profile accounts, including Elon Musk and Barack Obama, to promote a Bitcoin scam, resulting in over $118,000 in stolen funds. The incident underscores the critical need for robust employee training and cybersecurity measures to prevent such breaches.

What are the best practices for mitigating insider threats?

To protect organizations from insider threats, here are some best practices:

• Create an insider threat program: establish policies and a dedicated team to identify and respond to insider threats effectively.
• Behavioral monitoring: use tools to track unusual activity while respecting privacy.
• Restrict access: apply the principle of least privilege and review access rights regularly.
• Promote a healthy work culture: address employee grievances to reduce malicious motivations.
• Train employees: provide cybersecurity education and emphasize policy compliance.
• Screen new hires: conduct thorough background checks during recruitment.
• Prepare for incidents: Develop and test response plans for insider-related security events.
• Use cybersecurity tools: To mitigate insider threats, organizations can leverage tools like UEBA for user behavior monitoring, DLP for securing sensitive data, PAM for controlling access, and Zoho eProtect for email security, archiving and eDiscovery. A well-integrated combination of these tools offers a comprehensive defense, minimizing the risks associated with insider threats.