What are insider threats

An insider threat is a potential risk to an organization that comes from malicious insiders, these are often people within the organization, such as employees, former employees, contractors, or business associates, who have inside details about the organization, often involving sensitive data.

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Insider threats can involve current or former employees using their access privileges to gain access to the organization's network and gain confidential or sensitive information. Insider threats can also involve employees using their privileged access to sabotage and steal trade secrets or customer information for the commercial gain of another organization.

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Insider threat incidents in the US have more than doubled in the last two years, with businesses across the country experiencing 2,500 internal security breaches every day. Insider attacks can cost a company millions of dollars; therefore company's security team should use security tools to limit external threats and detect potential insider threats.

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Insider threat detection

Companies and organizations can detect insider threats and avoid sensitive data theft. Unusual behavioural indicators can be used to detect insider threats. These can include current employees working odd hours and increased emotions of resentment towards the company. Additionally, when detecting insider threats, unusual activity can include current or former employees using their privileged access to get hold of sensitive documents or using their network access privileges at a higher frequency and volume.

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The unexplained financial gain of another organization can also be used for insider threat detection. Security teams can use IT systems to carry out threat hunting by observing the activity and behavioural indicators of other companies.

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Peers, HR personnel, supervisors, and technology can all see behavioral indicators in action. Behaviours create a baseline of activities over time, from which changes may be considered threat detection. Hence insider threat programs will help detect threats and identify those who may become a potential risk. Using cybersecurity tools to observe these indicators and changes in user behavior will reduce the chance of an insider attack.

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Impact of culture on insider threat report

The organization's culture is its lifeblood, and it includes the shared values, norms, beliefs, and assumptions that ultimately drive employees' actions. The differences and changes in culture can also be used to understand insider threats.

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Lisa Forte, an Insider threat expert who runs cyber crisis simulations for large companies to help them prepare for attacks, explains the importance of good company culture when looking to reduce insider threats. In her podcast, LINK she explains that when employees are unhappy or sense a lack of trust within the company, they are more likely to become insider threats. This is because when employees are happy and content with their workplace, they will be less likely to go and sabotage their employers or the business. Therefore using the culture of a company as insider threat indicators can be useful. LINK 

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When creating an insider threat program, the focus should be given to ensuring companies aren’t just developing or increasing the likelihood of an insider threat. An emphasis on insider threat detection should be given to investing in helping employees and understanding their struggles, and ultimately modifying the culture of the company. Improving the culture of the company will eventually avoid the vulnerability of being exploited and reduce insider threats.

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How ELEFense can help insider threats

ELEFense will be the best solution for insider threat protection. ELEFense systems use Artificial Intelligence to provide an understanding of the workplace, well-being values, and, ultimately, the company’s culture. ELEFense software will allow companies to understand how to change their company culture and where the problems lie to ensure the positive well-being of their employees and have a positive impact on preventing insider threats.

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Prioritising improving the company's culture through the information provided by ELEFense will enhance insider threat protection and reduce the likelihood of an insider threat. Without the knowledge of how to improve the culture of a company, employees are more likely to be unhappy and the vulnerability of insider threats will rise.