What is an insider threat?
An insider threat is a security risk that originates from within an organization. It typically involves employees, contractors, business partners, or other individuals who have inside information concerning the organization’s security practices, data, and computer systems. These types of insider threats can be malicious or unintentional.
Who is most likely to be an insider threat?
A study by the Ponemon Institute on insider threats revealed that negligent insiders account for 62% of insider threat incidents. Stolen credentials are often the consequence of negligence, such as when an employee clicks on malicious links or doesn’t follow basic security practices like installing the latest software updates or enabling 2FA.
Our Insider Threat Pulse Report indicates that 56% of organizations reported at least one insider attack in the past year.
Why are insider threats dangerous?
Insider threats are particularly dangerous because they originate from trusted individuals who already have authorized access to an organization’s systems and sensitive data, allowing them to bypass many security controls. Their actions, whether intentional or accidental, can cause significant financial, operational, and reputational damage.
Unintentional insider threats are dangerous because they can lead to unauthorized access to essential business applications and confidential information that can lead to follow-on attacks like ransomware.
Malicious insider threats are especially dangerous and difficult to stop for two reasons. First, the perpetrator may gain or have extensive knowledge of an organization’s security policies, business processes, and response strategies. Additionally, an insider threat can often circumvent cybersecurity measures and directly access the network. The fallout from a successful insider attack is especially worth noting: recent research shows often up to five times more data is stolen in this type of breach.
What are the main types of insider threats?
There are two main types of insider threats:
- Unintentional threats: Unintentional insider threats can occur due to negligence or are accidental. Negligent insiders typically choose to ignore security policies. Accidental threats occur when an insider mistakenly causes harm to the organization, such as opening a malicious attachment or unintentionally sharing sensitive information.
- Intentional threats: Intentional insider threats – also known as “malicious insiders” – are when an insider knowingly causes harm to the organization, either for their own gain, or to act on a personal grievance.
Other insider threats include collusive threats – intentional threats where insiders collaborate with an external threat actor to harm the organization, and third-party threats – contractors or vendors who have access to sensitive data, facilities, or systems.
Why is it important to identify potential insider threats early on?
Early detection of insider threats is crucial because it allows organizations to mitigate risks before they escalate into significant security incidents. SpyCloud’s proactive approach enables security teams to identify compromised or malicious insiders during the hiring process, or for current employees, before behavioral anomalies surface or compromised identity data is abused.
Insider threat detection traditionally hinges on spotting concerning behaviors, a task achieved through a blend of technology (usually behavioral analytics software) and observation by staff. Augmenting insider threat programs with identity intelligence provides security teams with earlier warning signals of identity misuse.
Because insiders may have access to an organization’s most sensitive data, taking a Zero Trust approach to identifying potential insider threats, whether intentional or unintentional, can also limit the scope of a possible cyberattack.
Identification and management of insider threats not only safeguard critical assets but also foster a culture of security awareness and vigilance within the organization.
What advantages do insider threats have over other threat actors?
The main advantage insiders have is that they already have authorized access to an organization’s systems and data. This means they don’t need to breach initial security barriers as external attackers do. Aside from access, insiders have knowledge of the organization’s operations and processes, allowing them to navigate the internal systems more efficiently and identify valuable data or weak points. Lastly, the activities of insiders might not raise immediate suspicion since they are expected to access and work with company data.
What is an early indicator of a potential insider threat?
There are several early indicators of a potential insider threat:
- Digital exhaust that is indicative of identity misuse – As we’ve seen in the case of the North Korean fraudulent IT worker campaign, malicious insiders often leave a digital breadcrumb of clues that something is fishy with the identity they are presenting.
- Darknet exposure – Dark web exposure insights show if, when, and how identity data has been compromised, and could be potentially misused by an attacker.
- Shadow IT – The use of unapproved apps or services that can’t be effectively monitored by the security team.
- Unusual logins – Work accounts being used outside of the normal working hours.
- Sudden resignation – Resigning employees are at a heightened risk of being an insider threat since they don’t have much to lose.
How SpyCloud Enhances Insider Threat Detection
Traditional insider threat tools excel at what they’re designed for: detecting suspicious behavior once a malicious insider is inside your network. SpyCloud customers use SpyCloud Investigations with AI Insights to detect malicious insider threats often before access is granted as part of pre-hiring screening.
While the most damaging insider threats stem from malicious employees or former employees, they can also result from negligence. To stay ahead of unintentional insider threats, SpyCloud helps organizations by illuminating what identity information criminals have about your users and your customers. With SpyCloud, you can monitor for compromised credentials for all accounts across your domain to reduce the risk of account takeover and follow-on ransomware attacks. SOC analysts also use SpyCloud Investigations to research the level of insider risk of specific users based on their activity in recaptured breach and malware records.
Key Takeaways
- An insider threat is a security risk that originates from within an organization – e.g. employees, contractors, business partners, or anyone with privileged access.
- Insider threats may be malicious (intentional) or unintentional (negligent/accidental).
- Negligent insiders are the leading source of insider incidents — 62% of insider threat events stem from negligence (e.g. weak practices, clicking malicious links)
- Insider-originated data breaches often involve larger volumes of data than external breaches — up to five times more data stolen, in some studies.
- Because insiders have authorized access, they bypass external defenses, and their actions may not appear suspicious (since they are “expected” to access internal resources).
- Insider threats can often be tied back to some form of identity misuse. Combining identity intelligence with traditional insider threat detection tools can help defenders identify potential insiders earlier, sometimes even before hiring occurs.