The Growing Risk of Insider Threats in Cyber Security
Cyber security threats are increasingly complex, and while external attacks like phishing and malware often take centre stage, insider threats are emerging as a significant concern. Insider threats are risks originating from within an organisation, which pose unique challenges. They exploit an insider’s knowledge of systems, processes, and vulnerabilities, making detection and prevention particularly challenging.
In this article, we’ll explore the growing risks of insider threats, and how organisations can effectively address them.
What Are Insider Threats in Cyber Security?
Insider threats occur when an individual with access to an organisation’s systems or data, whether an employee, contractor, or partner, misuses that access to compromise security. Unlike external threats, insider threats leverage legitimate credentials, making them harder to identify and mitigate.
The importance of addressing cyber security insider threats is underscored by their increasing frequency. These threats can lead to severe consequences, including financial losses, data breaches, and reputational damage. Understanding their nature is the first step toward robust prevention strategies.
Why Are Insider Threats on the Rise?
Several factors are driving the rise of insider threats in cyber security:
Remote Work: The shift to remote work environments has expanded the attack surface. Employees access sensitive systems from unsecured personal devices and networks, increasing vulnerabilities.
Cloud Adoption: Cloud-based systems offer flexibility but often lack robust security configurations, making them an easy target for exploitation.
Human Error: Negligence remains a critical factor, with employees inadvertently sharing sensitive data or falling victim to social engineering attacks.
Sophisticated Threat Actors: Cyber criminals increasingly target insiders, exploiting their credentials to bypass external defences.
These factors highlight the need for proactive measures to mitigate insider threats.
Types of Insider Threats in Cyber Security
Insider threats are not one-size-fits-all. Understanding the different types of insider threats can help organisations tailor their defences:
1. Malicious Insiders
Malicious insiders intentionally harm their organisation for personal gain or revenge. They may steal sensitive data, sabotage systems, or sell company secrets to competitors or threat actors. This is rare, but still an important consideration.
2. Negligent Insiders
Negligent insiders are individuals who inadvertently compromise security. Examples include employees falling for phishing emails, mishandling sensitive files, or failing to follow security protocols. This is common, especially within teams with busy or heavy workloads.
3. Compromised Insiders
Compromised insiders are employees whose credentials have been stolen or coerced by external attackers. These individuals may not even realise their accounts are being used for malicious purposes.
By identifying these categories, organisations can implement targeted strategies to address each type of insider threat.
The Impact of Insider Threats: Real-World Examples
The consequences of insider threats are far-reaching and costly:
1. Data Breaches
“In April 2022, a former disgruntled employee downloaded the personal data of users of the mobile payment service Cash App. After termination on December 10, 2022, the employee stole the following information about Cash App’s customers: Full names, Brokerage portfolio values, Brokerage portfolio holdings, Stock trading activity. The breach resulted in a data compromise of 8.2 million customers. The employee was terminated. It led to a class action lawsuit against Cash App Investing and Block, its parent company.”
2. Financial Losses
“In 2016, a former Google employee, Anthony Levandowski, downloaded thousands of company files onto his personal laptop. These files related to Google’s early self-driving car program “Project Chauffeur”, now known as Waymo LLC, and would’ve given him a leg up in his new job at Uber. Google sued Levandowski, and he admitted that Google may have lost up to $1,500,000 due to his theft.”
3. Reputational Harm
“Yahoo alleges that their former research scientist Qian Sang, who worked as a research scientist at Yahoo, stole the company’s intellectual property in February 2022. According to Yahoo’s claim, the malicious insider was going to use the stolen data for financial gain from Yahoo’s competitor, The Trade Desk. Prior to the incident, Sang had received a job offer from them. The company also claims that Sang stole other confidential information including Yahoo’s strategy plans and a competitive analysis of The Trade Desk.
The consequences were that valuable source code and strategy information was leaked and potential loss of competitive advantage”
How to Detect and Prevent Insider Threats
Effectively managing insider threats requires a proactive human risk management strategy, leveraging advanced technologies and a focus on key practices such as behavioural monitoring, access control, just-in-time education, and real-time interventions.
Here's how these components contribute to detecting and preventing insider threats:
Behavioural Monitoring
Human behaviour often reveals critical indicators of potential insider threats. By using machine learning and AI-driven analytics, security teams can leverage behavioural monitoring to analyse patterns, detect anomalies, and flag unusual behaviours, such as unauthorised attempts to access sensitive files, or logins from an unusual device. This can help to identify potential risks in real-time and prevent incidents before they escalate.
Access Control
Access control is essential for limiting opportunities for insider threats. Implementing role-based access, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and policies based on the principle of least privilege ensures that employees and third parties only have access to the information and systems they legitimately need. Additionally, dynamically monitoring and adjust user permissions based on changing roles, will reduce risks associated with excessive or outdated access.
Just-In-Time Education
Trusting your employees to always do the most secure thing is not effective—human error will always prevail. And as human error is one of the leading causes of insider threats, coaching is often a great solution. By incorporating just-in-time education into your human risk management plan ensures employees receive targeted, actionable training moments exactly when they need them. For example, if an individual attempts a risky action, such as accessing sensitive files inappropriately, the system can intervene by providing instant guidance or reminders about secure practices.
Real-Time Interventions
Real-time interventions are vital for mitigating insider risks as they occur. Through continuous monitoring and automated risk remediation using human risk management tools, organisations can immediately fix, nudge, coach, and block suspicious activities, whilst notifying security teams to the risks at play. Whether it's flagging the sharing of sensitive information on a public channel, or blocking the submission of confidential information on a generative AI platform, real-time interventions are critical for staying ahead of threats while minimising disruptions.
Protect Your Organisation from Insider Threats
Insider threats in cyber security are a growing concern, driven by remote work, cloud adoption, and human error. Understanding the different types of insider threats, malicious, negligent, and compromised, is crucial to implementing effective defence mechanisms. Detection and prevention require a blend of advanced technology and robust policies.
By integrating behavioural monitoring, access control, just-in-time education, and real-time interventions into a comprehensive human risk management strategy, organisations can create a secure and resilient environment. Not only does this approach address insider threats effectively but it also fosters a culture of accountability, awareness, and trust within the organisation.