With the increasing technology, organizations must protect their sensitive information from insider threats. Because through insider threat, the competitors and data breachers can take benefit.
An insider threat in cyber security is the individual with all the information or knowledge about an organization’s products, secret information, future planning, or computer and network systems access.
An insider threat is performed either intentionally or unintentionally. Irrespective of the intent, the damage occurs to the organization.
By understanding the types of insider threats, companies can protect their information from insider threats when the members of an organization cross the line from employee to foe. In this regard, the best management consulting firm in London helps organizations in the best possible way.
Let’s discuss the types of insider threats in cyber security in detail and understand how organizations can detect them.
What Is Insider?
An insider is any individual with authorized knowledge or access to the resources of an organization, such as facilities, personnel, equipment, information, systems, and networks.
Examples Of Insider
Some of the most prominent examples of insider are;
- An individual to whom the organization has provided a network or computer access.
- An individual who has information about the organization fundamentals such as costs, pricing, as well as strengths and weaknesses of the organization.
- An individual who designs and develops the products and services of an organization. This group comprises those who know the secrets of the organization’s products that offer them value.
- An individual that the organization trusts, such as organization members, employees, and those with access to sensitive information.
- In government departments, the insider can be an individual with access to secret information, which could cause damage to public safety and national security if compromised.
What Is an Insider Threat?
Insider threat refers to the cyber security risk within an organization. Insider threat occurs when a former or current insider, such as a contractor, employee, partner, or vendor with proper information about the organization, misuses their access to the disadvantage of the organization’s networks, data, and system.
Types Of Insider Threats In CyberSecurity
There are two types of insider threats in cyber security. These types are;
- Malicious insider threats
- Negligent insider threats
1. Malicious Insider Threats
Malicious insider threat, also called turn cloak. The main purpose of malicious insider threats is fraud, espionage, sabotage, and intellectual property theft.
This type of insider threat occurs from fraudulent contractors and employees who leak confidential data or misuse their access to the organization’s systems in order to cause disruption and damage to the organization or for personal gain.
Criminal insiders work alone or in groups with external threat actors like hacking groups and competitors.
Business management consultant firms know how to detect malicious insider threats and protect the company from such insider threats in the future.
● Lone Wolf
Lone wolves are those insider threats that operate independently and act without external influence or manipulation. Lone wolves are more threatening because they sometimes possess access to privileged systems like database administrators.
● Collaborator
Collaborators are those insider threats that empower users who work with a third party to cause harm to an organization deliberately.
The third party can be a nation-state, competitor, individual, or organized network of criminals. The actions of collaborators lead to the disruption of company operations or the leak of confidential details.
2. Negligent Insider Threats
Negligent insider threats are also called careless insider threats. This type of insider threat occurs due to unintentional employee error like poor judgment, human error, unintentional abetting or aiding, sharing organization data on USB or insecure devices, or users falling victim to phishing emails.
In negligent insider threat, the insider exposes the system of the enterprise unknowingly to external attacks.
Top global consulting firms offer services that include detecting these negligent insider threats in companies that are proven helpful to organizations.
Negligent insider threats are either goofs or pawns.
Goofs
Goofs are incompetent, ignorant, or arrogant users who don’t find it important to follow security procedures and policies. They intentionally take harmful actions but put up no malicious act.
Goofs can be users of an organization that stores private consumer information on their devices while understanding that it’s not allowed by the organization.
Pawn
These are accredited users who have been controlled into inadvertently acting maliciously, sometimes with the help of social engineering methods like spear phishing. These negligent acts may include disclosing confidential details to imposters or downloading malware to a computer.
International management consultancy firms easily detect pawns and goofs and offer strategies to companies for protection from insider threats.
Proven Ways To Detect Insider Threats
There are multiple threat intelligence tools, but they only focus on application, computer data, and network analysis. They ignore the actions performed by authorized persons who can act as insider threats by misusing their access to the organization’s information and systems.
Therefore, you must focus on digital activity and strange behavior to protect the organization from insider threats. However, top management consulting firms UK offer the best solutions to companies to protect from insider threats.
According to global consulting companies, including best Strategy Consulting Firms uk, you can detect insider threats through the following indicators.
Digital Indicators
- Signing up for organization applications and networks at unusual times.
- Accessing the data and information that is irrelevant to their jobs.
- Using devices that are unauthorized, like USB
- Emailing sensitive data outside the company
Behavioral Indicators
- Try to avoid security
- Displays dissatisfaction towards other employees
- Working off hours regularly
- Violates policy of the organization regularly
Also, various management firms, like the best management consulting firms in London, offer services to organizations to protect their data and information from insider threats.
Top Leading Management Consulting Firm In London 2023
Among the best consulting firms, the Top management consulting firm in London provides complete assistance to organizations by offering business management consulting services to improve and enhance an organization’s cyber security posture.
International management consultant firms, including Business Efficiency Consultancy London, ensure the organization has no insider threat through its experiences, products, and services.
Last Words
Insider threat in cyber security is becoming more common in various organizations resulting in the loss of data, products, and information.
Two types of insider threats are common that are malicious and negligent. Both these types are harmful to an organization.
Fortunately, multiple global management consulting firms, like Leading management consulting firms in London 2023, offer services to protect your organization from insider threats. Companies that want to protect themselves from insider threats can greatly exploit these firms.
