Insider threats come from employees, contractors, or partners who misuse their authorized access, whether maliciously or negligently.
Understanding Insider Threats
Insiders already have legitimate access to systems and data, making their malicious activities harder to detect.
Threat Categories
- Malicious Insider - Intentionally stealing data or sabotaging systems.
- Negligent Insider - Accidentally exposing data through carelessness.
- Compromised Insider - Account hijacked by external attackers.
Mitigation Strategies
Least Privilege
Grant only necessary access levels.
Activity Monitoring
Log and analyze user behavior patterns.
Data Loss Prevention
Control sensitive data movement.
Conclusion
Insider threats are challenging to detect because they come from trusted individuals. By implementing least privilege access, activity monitoring, and data loss prevention, you can reduce the risk and impact of insider incidents.