Insider threats are one of the most overlooked security risks facing organisations today. Insiders are individuals who have legitimate access to an organisation’s systems and data, and they can use this access to cause harm, either intentionally or unintentionally.

Types of insider threats to your cyber security 

In terms of the different types of insider threats to your organisation’s cyber security, it is important to be aware that some are much more malicious than others. 

In most cases breaches of cyber security occur as a result of human error. In which case this is purely by accident and due to a lack of awareness and understanding. However, there are cases where insiders within an organisation are deliberately misusing systems and software in order to damage the business or to make a personal gain. 

Malicious internal threats

This type of threat can come in several forms. Including lone wolves, collaborators, second streamers, and generally disgruntled employees.

Second Streamers 

These are individuals or groups who use the private information and a company’s data to make a personal gain, usually a financial one. This form of insider threat has been found to be the most prevalent of insider threats driven by a malicious intent. 

Lone wolves 

Lone wolves are individuals who work alone (hence the name) and are often members of staff who have access to many of the organisation’s systems. This puts them in a particularly powerful position to cause huge implications for their employer and other colleagues such as operational disruption, data breaches, financial losses and reputational damage. Although it can be easy to spot a lone wolf, it places emphasis on the importance of trust when hiring such responsible individuals. 

Disgruntled employees

In large enterprises where it could be difficult to keep track of all employees, it is possible that disgruntled employees can emerge. This may be as a result of missing out on a promotion, being angry with the management team for a decision, or simply because they no longer care about the company. Disgruntled employees are considered another malicious threat to cyber security. 

There’s also been many cases whereby an employee was fired by a company and were still able to access their accounts remotely, leaving the business vulnerable to exploitation. 

Collaborators

Collaborators refers to employees who work with third parties outside of the organisation to sell private data and information in order to support criminal activity. This can be very dangerous for the organisation as private company data can fall into the hands of cyber criminals or competitors. 

 

Although not a complete list, these types of malicious threats help to explain the various reasons behind why an employee or group of employees may intentionally bypass security means to attack the company they work for.

There are a variety of methods to mitigate the risk of malicious insider threats such as security tools, password management policies and incident response planning. Another example being, removing access to company accounts and information as soon as an employee’s contract is terminated is incredibly important. 

 

Employee negligence 

Another form of insider threat and the most common, is employee negligence. 95% of cyber security breaches occur as a result of human error. This human error can occur in a number of ways, from using company software on unsecured wifi networks, opening phishing emails, to leaving company data accessible to unauthorised personnel. While it is not intentional these types of insider threats pose a huge risk to an organisation, leaving them vulnerable to a number of different types of breaches and cyber attacks.

 

Mitigating the risks with security awareness training 

Security awareness training will play a crucial role in ensuring that all members of your organisation are aware of the risks associated with cyber security breaches. Not only will expert-led training provide them the knowledge to understand cyber security and to identify different types of social engineering or threats, it can also be used to expose them to realistic scenarios using various testing methods. This includes phishing simulations which are an effective method not just for testing but also for gaining valuable analytics. This type of reporting allows you to see the effectiveness of your training and how to improve your awareness programme. Such methods will be continuously conducted to allow employees to learn about new threats and to help keep your organisation’s security a priority.