Protect Your Business from Within: Defending Against Insider Threats

You might believe you’ve done everything to safeguard your business from cyberthreats. With the most advanced security solutions in place to defend against external threats, you may feel secure. But are you equally protected against internal threats?

Knowingly or unknowingly, your employees, vendors, partners, and even you could pose a risk to your business. That’s why it’s crucial to understand how to protect your business from within. In this blog, we’ll explore various internal threats, how to identify warning signs, and most importantly, how to prevent them.

Common Insider Threats

Insider threats come in various forms, each posing unique risks.

Here are some common threats:

1. Data Theft
   This occurs when an employee or someone within the organization downloads or leaks sensitive data for personal gain or malicious purposes. This can involve physically stealing company devices with privileged information or digitally copying data.

   Example: An employee at a leading healthcare service provider downloads and sells protected patient information on the dark web.

2. Sabotage
   A disgruntled employee, activist, or someone working for a competitor may deliberately damage, disrupt, or destroy your organization by deleting important files, infecting devices, or locking the business out of crucial systems by changing passwords.

   Example: A disgruntled employee at a coffee shop deliberately tampers with the machine, causing malfunctions and loss of business.

3. Unauthorized Access
   This involves a breach of security where malicious actors, such as hackers or disgruntled employees, gain access to business-critical information. Sometimes, individuals may unknowingly access sensitive data.

   Example: A malicious employee uses their login credentials to access privileged information and leaks it to competitors.

4. Negligence & Error
   Both negligence and errors can lead to insider threats that pose security risks. While errors can be mitigated through training, addressing negligence requires stricter enforcement.

   Example: An employee might click on a malicious link and download malware, or misplace a laptop containing sensitive data. In both cases, company data is compromised.

5. Credential Sharing
   Sharing credentials is like giving someone the keys to your house. You can’t predict what they will do with it—they might just take some sugar or use your home for a party. Similarly, sharing your confidential password with colleagues or friends increases the risk of exposing your business to a cyberattack.

   Example: An employee uses a friend’s laptop to access their work email and forgets to sign off. If the personal laptop gets hacked, the hacker now has access to the company’s confidential information.

Recognize the Warning Signs

Identifying insider threats early is crucial. Watch out for these indicators:

• Unusual Access Patterns: An employee suddenly starts accessing confidential information unrelated to their job.

• Excessive Data Transfers: An employee begins downloading large volumes of customer data and transferring it to a memory stick.

• Authorization Requests: Someone repeatedly requests access to critical business information that their role doesn’t require.

• Use of Unapproved Devices: Accessing confidential data using personal laptops or other devices.

• Disabling Security Tools: Someone in your organization disables antivirus software or firewalls.

• Behavioral Changes: An employee shows abnormal behavior, such as missing deadlines or exhibiting signs of extreme stress.

Strengthen Your Defenses

Follow these five steps to build a comprehensive cybersecurity framework that will keep your business protected:

1. Implement Strong Password Policies: Encourage the use of multi-factor authentication wherever possible.

2. Control Access: Ensure employees can only access the data and systems necessary for their roles. Regularly review and update access privileges.

3. Educate and Train: Provide training on insider threats and security best practices to all employees.

4. Regular Data Backups: Back up important data regularly to ensure recovery in case of data loss.

5. Develop an Incident Response Plan: Create a comprehensive plan detailing how to respond to insider threat incidents.

Don’t Face Internal Threats Alone

Protecting your business from insider threats can be daunting, especially if you’re doing it alone. That’s why partnering with an experienced IT service provider like us is essential. We can help you implement comprehensive security measures.

Let us assist you in safeguarding your business from the inside out. Contact us, and we’ll show you how to monitor for potential