Insider Threat: Your Employee Could Be Your Biggest Potential Enemy

Often, when you think about your business security, the first thing that comes to your mind is an attack from the outside. It might be a professional hacker trying to get access to your servers, or maybe a complex attack from a rival. However, the greatest threat to your organizational security is closer than you think – your employee.

While hackers are becoming smarter and more sophisticated, most of the threats to your data security comes from the inside. That means you have to rethink your cybersecurity approach if you’ve been solely focusing on outside threats. Let’s look at the types of insider threats and how they operate.

Types of Insider Threat

Malicious Insiders

While employees with ill-intent are few, they have the potential to cause the most damage especially do to their access to company systems. Those with privileged access such as administrators are riskier.

Exploited Insiders

Uninformed employees are likely to be tricked by hackers into giving out critical business data or access to IT systems. Hackers target such using phishing attacks which if successful, can lead data breaches.

Careless Insiders

These are the type of insiders who are frequent in an organization. They might be new employees who don’t know about a company’s security policies or employees who are aware of the policies in place but do not abide.

Related: Combat hackers with these 4 Tips 

The Stake

The likelihood of your company systems being breached is higher than ever. Cybercriminals are always on watch looking for loopholes and vulnerabilities they can exploit. And with your employees being one key vulnerability, your business is at risk. That means, securing your IT infrastructure and data is more critical than ever.

How to Prevent It

Security Training

Educating employees on how to use technology in the right way is essential to grow awareness. This helps to enhance security preparedness in the organization reducing the chances of hackers exploiting uninformed employees.

Use Security Technology

A security program should be the first layer of your security defence. It provides extra protection curbing common threats such as malware which might be used by insider threats. You should consider using recognized security software such as Kaspersky or Fortinet to deter these threats.

Strict Access Control

Implementing greater user access control can play an essential role in reducing possibility of insider attacks or damage in case of successful attacks. With more access restrictions in place, the surface of attack is reduced significantly.

User Alerts

Having an alert system in place is useful to detect users engaged in suspicious behaviour which could create security risks. Such alerts enables users know what practices that are harmful to the company’s security.

Multi-Layered Security Approach

A multi-layer security defence is effective in deterring threats that bypasses one or two security mechanisms in place. Some strategies you could incorporate in your security approach include biometrics, two-factor authentication, etc. That makes it harder for unauthorized users to access critical business information.

Stay Up-To-Date

Being updated on current events and trends in cybersecurity is key to combating insider threats. Prioritize learning from the industry about ways to combat these evolving threats and apply best practices to keep them at bay.

Consult Cybersecurity Experts

Cybersecurity companies like Crystal Technologies can help you get a clear view of how to fight insider threat in your organization. You can partner with them to harden your systems and network against this risk.

Internal Security Policy

Additionally, it’s essential to create a comprehensive security policy tailored to address the cybersecurity risks facing your company. The policy should be transparent and properly communicated to all internal stakeholders including management and employee. Also, you should also communicate your approach to external security risks as well.

Conclusion

Even the most secure infrastructures can get compromised especially if they don’t address the risk of insider threat. That means you have to apply security management practices that go a long way towards protecting your systems from both outside and insider threats. The aforementioned security tips can give an extra protection layer for your business.

If you have questions about safeguarding your organization, we have security tools designed to keep your data and business operations secure. To learn more about this, contact us today.

 

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