Essential Information for Fortifying Your Defenses Against Internal Security Risks
In the rapidly evolving landscape of work, organizations are grappling with a growing concern: insider data breaches. Recent research has shown that workforce reductions and stressed employees are known risk factors for such incidents.
Recognizing insider risk as a human issue, it's crucial for collaboration to extend beyond IT or cybersecurity teams. Involving HR, legal, and management, potentially with executive or board leadership, is essential. A well-defined and funded response plan, including all these stakeholders, is of paramount importance.
Specific awareness training is another key element in mitigating this risk. Employees need to be educated on the ways they can be manipulated online, common mistakes that cause data leaks, and the potentially severe consequences of such behaviours.
Anomaly detection, analysing behavioural patterns and looking for deviations from normal, predicted behaviour, is a key technique in insider threat detection. AI and machine learning tools are critical for quickly identifying suspicious behaviours from employees. Early identification and resolution of issues involving employees who appear unhappy or stressed can prevent potential insider threats.
The hybrid working world necessitates a distributed and universal approach to access management. Organizations must work closely with third parties to gain awareness of who has access to what systems and data, and to ensure that access is restricted to those areas required by the individuals to do their job. When a third-party relationship ends, organizations must ensure permissions to access sensitive information are promptly removed to prevent former vendors from still having access to company assets.
Insider threats can originate from contractors, third-parties, and suppliers, not just employees. The global economic downturn is linked to an increase in insider threat incidents. Malicious insider threats can stem from resentment towards employers or for monetary gain. Non-malicious insiders accounted for 75% of incidents in a report, with 55% being due to negligence or mistakes, and 20% being due to being duped by an external actor.
During the 2023 National Insider Threat Awareness Month (NITAM), it is crucial for organizations to understand and address insider threats. The average annual cost per organization, as per reports from Verizon and DTEX in conjunction with the Ponemon Institute, is approximately $15 million and $16.2 million respectively.
In conclusion, tackling insider data breaches requires a comprehensive and collaborative approach, involving all relevant stakeholders, robust training programs, advanced detection techniques, and stringent access management practices. By addressing these factors, organizations can better protect their valuable assets and maintain the trust of their clients and partners.
