An Examination of National Insider Threat Awareness Month

Introduction

National Insider Threat Awareness Month is observed in September, a period when we zero-in on the potential risks introduced by insider threats and explore mitigation strategies for organizations. These threats originate from individuals—those possessing legitimate access to an organization's systems and data—who exploit this privilege, subsequently causing harm. A range of motivations can fuel these actions; they may seek financial gain, act out of revenge, or be driven by ideology.

Insider threats pose a significant risk to organizations across all sizes and industries. In fact, the Ponemon Institute's 2023 Cost of Insider Threat Study revealed that an average insider threat incident costs $9.35 million. Moreover, we see a rising trend in the frequency of these incidents--compelling evidence for concern.

Organizations can implement several measures to safeguard against insider threats; crucial steps include:

Educate

Employees must grasp the nature of these threats, be able to identify them––and react appropriately upon suspecting an explicit threat.

Implement Robust Security Controls

Deploy solutions such as access control, data loss prevention, and user behavior analytics.

Monitor Employee Activity

This task incorporates the surveillance of network traffic, file access, and email communications.

Cultivate a Security-Minded Culture

Employees must feel comfortable—free of retaliation fears—in reporting suspicious activities.

Consider these additional strategies for safeguarding your business against internal risks:

Carefully vet employees. Conduct thorough background and reference checks on all new hires. Hire slow..

Monitor employee morale. Employees feeling disgruntled or disrespected in their jobs are likely to evolve into insider threats.

All employees require security training. Implement a program that encompasses things like phishing awareness, password security and social engineering. It’s your responsibility to provide this.

Ensure a plan for insider threat incident response is in place. A plan should encompass steps to identify the threat; contain any potential damage--and, finally, remediate the situation.

By implementing these steps, organizations can strengthen their defenses against the risk of insider threats.

For more information about National Insider Threat Awareness Month, head to The National Counterintelligence and Security Center.