Since 2018, the number of insider threat incidents has increased by 47%. Although you may not think of them as such, your employees represent a large security risk. Whether a deliberate attack or an inadvertent mistake, employees can cause a significant breach affecting company networks and data.

Insider threats are harder to deal with because they involve someone with authorized access to the data. Any company that loses control of the endpoints is at serious risk. Therefore, safeguarding endpoints by getting rid of insider threats must be a top priority for every organization.

Insider threats which are not malicious or intentional are typically due to inadequate cybersecurity protocols. While basic cybersecurity awareness education may mitigate the risk, it doesn’t make the problem disappear. In 2020, the increase in remote workplaces has made insider threats even more prolific. With personnel in so many locations, it becomes significantly harder for the IT team to maintain complete visibility over the company’s data and access endpoints.

Insider Threats Strategies

Here are the components of a possible strategy to fight insider threats.

Intelligent Threat Detection: Cyber-attacks due to the rise of adversarial AI are increasingly advanced and require companies to move beyond traditional prevention. Intelligent Threat Detection uses AI and machine learning to root out threats in real-time. Intelligent Threat Detection monitors employees on an ongoing basis, and if there is even a small deviation from normal usage patterns (such as a different login location), the action is immediately identified and personnel notified so they can determine if action is needed. Thus Intelligent Threat Detection works in conjunction with professional human oversight.

Threat Incident Response: A threat incident response plan creates protocols for how threats and vulnerabilities, once known, should be dealt with. This process begins with a comprehensive audit of the business network infrastructure, while taking into account the individual endpoints. It also prioritizes all data and information, and assigns a level of escalation for every threat.

User Access Management: A Ponemon Institute report showed that 62% of personnel interviewed had access to company data that they should not have been privy to. A company’s goal should be to minimize the possibility of attack by restricting access to data as appropriate. A least privilege model for data access allows an employee (even the CEO) access only to the data required to do their particular job.

Secure Web Gateway

A Secure Web Gateway (SWG) provides a framework for an organization’s security protocols. It utilizes real-time web filtering to monitor and enforce cybersecurity policies. An SWG analyzes both incoming and outgoing data against established policies, and blocks any piece of data that violates the company protocol. An SWG filters data, det filtering, malicious-code detection and filtering, and application controls for popular Web-based applications, as well as data leak prevention.

Cloud-hosted SWGs provide the perfect solution for securing remote workers. Regardless of the distance disparity, the SWG applies the same protocols to every worker, device, and endpoint.

Above all, every employee should be encouraged to take cybersecurity personally. This can be achieved by including them in establishing your insider threats protocol. Everyone should know the roles they are to play in preventing, detecting, and managing insider threats. If you need help, don’t hesitate to call Alliance IT. Our dedicated team of IT professionals has the expertise and experience needed to assist you with all aspects of your network. As threats come and go, we make sure you are stable and secure. Call today for more information.