Insider Threat

What is an Insider Threat?

 

An Insider Threat refers to an individual within an organization—often an employee or contractor—who intentionally or unintentionally compromises the organization’s security. These threats are particularly dangerous because insiders have access to sensitive systems and data, allowing them to bypass traditional security measures. As insider threats increase in frequency, it’s more important than ever to understand, detect, and mitigate these risks.

The Growing Impact of Insider Threats

According to the 2024 Insider Threat Report from Cybersecurity Insiders, insider threats have been steadily rising. The report revealed that 48% of organizations experienced an increase in insider attacks in the past 12 months. Furthermore, 83% of organizations reported at least one insider attack during that period. This alarming trend highlights the need for a comprehensive strategy to tackle these growing risks.

Types of Insider Threats

Insider threats can take many forms, making it crucial to understand the different types and their potential risks:

Malicious Insider

A malicious insider is someone who intentionally exploits their access to the organization’s systems to cause harm. Whether motivated by personal gain, revenge, or ideology, these individuals engage in activities such as data theft, fraud, or system sabotage. This is often also referred to as motivational misuse where the insider is motivated by external pressures or their own personal vindictive incentive.

Careless or Unintentional Insider

These are individuals who cause security breaches due to negligence or lack of awareness. Actions like misplacing sensitive documents, sharing passwords, or falling for phishing attacks can lead to significant security risks.

Compromised Insider

Compromised insiders may have unwittingly provided their credentials to external attackers. These attackers then use the insider’s access to infiltrate the organization, often going unnoticed for extended periods.

Disgruntled Insider

Disgruntled employees who feel wronged or dissatisfied may seek to harm the organization by leaking sensitive data or disrupting operations.

Insider Threat Type Description Example
Malicious Insider Intentionally harms the organization Steals sensitive data for personal gain
Careless Insider Unintentionally causes breaches Falls for phishing attack
Compromised Insider Credentials or systems compromised by external attackers Hacker gains access using stolen login details
Disgruntled Insider Acts out of dissatisfaction or revenge Leaks sensitive information due to job dissatisfaction

Who are insider threat personas? There are a variety of insider threat personas because all employees already have some level of access. Let’s take a closer look at who these people are, and why they might breach the data or systems.

Key Indicators of a Malicious Insider

Detecting a malicious insider can be challenging, but there are several red flags to watch out for:

  • Abnormal Data Access
    Accessing files or systems outside of an individual’s regular responsibilities, especially at unusual times or from unfamiliar locations.
  • Privilege Escalation
    Attempting to gain higher-level access or unauthorized permissions.
  • Unusual Network Traffic
    Large data transfers or connections to suspicious IP addresses could signal exfiltration attempts.
  • Employee Behavior Changes
    Sudden disengagement or changes in workplace behavior can be signs of dissatisfaction, leading to malicious intent.
  • Unauthorized System Modifications
    Changes to systems or configurations without approval, which may be an attempt to hide malicious activities.

Insider threat indicators are behavioral patterns and activities that signal potential risks posed by individuals with authorized access to an organization’s systems, data, or networks, helping to identify malicious or negligent actions before they result in a significant security incident.

Insider Threat Indicator Explanation
Unusual Access Patterns Insiders may exhibit unusual access to systems, such as during odd hours or accessing information outside their normal responsibilities.
Excessive Data Access or Downloads Downloading or accessing an unusually large amount of data, especially unrelated to the insider’s role, may indicate a threat.
Unauthorized Access Attempts to access systems or files outside their authorization scope could signify malicious intent.
Frequent Failed Access Attempts Frequent failed login attempts might indicate attempts to bypass security or escalate privileges.
Accessing Restricted Areas Accessing restricted areas or systems without legitimate reasons can be a warning sign of insider threats.
Unapproved Copying or Transferring Data Copying data to external devices, personal emails, or cloud storage without approval could indicate data theft.
Abnormal Data Access Accessing data at unusual times or locations, or downloading large volumes of data without a clear business reason.
Privilege Escalation An insider may attempt to escalate privileges to access sensitive data or bypass security controls.
Unusual Network Traffic Abnormal network traffic, such as large data transfers to external locations or unusual connections, may indicate insider activity.
Unauthorized System Modifications Changes to system configurations or security settings to create backdoors or hide activities could signal insider threats.
Employee Behavior Changes Sudden behavioral changes, job dissatisfaction, or disengagement from work may indicate a disgruntled insider.
Financial Stress or Personal Problems Financial stress or personal problems may motivate an insider to engage in fraudulent activities or steal sensitive information.
Attempted Data Exfiltration Large transfers of sensitive data to external storage or suspicious network traffic can indicate data exfiltration attempts.
Violation of Security Policies Repeated violations of security policies, like bypassing access controls or unauthorized sharing of data, may indicate malicious behavior.
Unusual Work Patterns Inconsistent or unusual work hours, such as accessing systems at odd times, could signal malicious activities.

These indicators can help organizations monitor and detect potential insider threats, allowing for proactive insider risk mitigation.

This article discusses the latest insider threat indicators and looks at the tools and techniques for, not just detecting but actually predicting, when a threat poses real risk.

Challenges in Detecting Insider Threats

The 2024 Insider Threat Report reveals that 92% of organizations find insider attacks to be as challenging, if not more difficult, to detect than external threats. There are several reasons why detecting insider threats is so complex:

  • Limited Detection Capabilities: Many traditional security insider threat tools rely on static rules that generate an overwhelming number of false positives. This means malicious activities often go undetected.
  • The Visibility Gap: With fragmented systems and siloed data, only 36% of organizations have a fully integrated solution to deliver unified visibility and control. This lack of visibility hampers their ability to detect insider threats effectively.
  • Overconfidence and Complacency: 39% of security teams believe they have adequate insider threat programs, yet the frequency of attacks continues to rise. This misplaced confidence can lead to gaps in security.
  • Complexity of Over-Tooling: Many organizations deploy multiple security tools without a cohesive strategy, leading to inefficiencies. Over 50% of organizations admit they don’t have the insider threat tools to confidently handle insider threats.
  • The Knowledge Gap: 48% of organizations reported that insider threats have become more frequent, yet many lack the technical expertise to address these challenges of insider threat detection. This knowledge gap makes organizations more vulnerable.

How to Detect an Insider Threat

Traditional insider threat detection tools have struggled to deliver accurate, prioritized and fully contextualized detections. Often standalone User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) and Network Traffic Analysis solutions produce an overwhelming number of false positives due to every anomaly being treated as a risk. Standalone Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solutions are rule-based and produce lagging indicators, resulting in a reactive response to insider risk. Furthermore, legacy SIEM solutions are not designed for insider threat use cases and lack the full context required to predict risky insider behavior. Insider threat programs require comprehensive insider threat management platforms capable of predicting, prioritizing and contextualizing all relevant insider threat data. Here is a glimpse at how they accomplish this:

Unify All Relevant Insider Threat Data:

These new big data platforms can ingest and centralize all the telemetry needed to detect insider threats. This includes user, entity and network traffic behavioral data, identity and access data and traditional security data. Furthermore, they capture the less conventional sentiment data from HR applications and public legal data sources.

Predict True Risk, Not Just Anomalies:

All of the aforementioned data is meaningless unless it is put into context. Detecting anomalies with behavioral analytics is critical, but it is all the surrounding telemetry that puts these behavioral deviations into context. Not all anomalies are risks, but all risks start with an anomaly. These insider threat management platforms use advanced machine learning models to predict risky behavior.

Prioritize Real Insider Threats:

With all relevant context at the finger tips of your security analysts, insider risk management platforms can prioritize threats by way of risk scoring— greatly reducing the mean time to detect and respond.  

5 Requirements for Modern Insider Threat Detection Tools

Tips for Insider Threat Prevention

Beyond being able to predict and detect insider threats, which is the role of the insider threat program, it remains imperative that security and IT operations at large take a role to prevent insider threats. Here are a few ways this can be handled:  

  1. Access Control & Least Privilege: Limit employee access to sensitive data and systems based on their role, ensuring they only have the minimum necessary privileges to perform their tasks. Regularly review and revoke unnecessary permissions.
  2. Employee Education & Training: Regularly train employees on cybersecurity best practices, the risks of insider threats, and how to recognize and report suspicious activities. Awareness programs can help employees understand their role in protecting sensitive data.
  3. Incident Response Plan: Develop and regularly update an insider threat response plan. This plan should outline the steps to take if suspicious behavior is detected, including how to investigate, contain, and remediate potential incidents.
  4. Fostering a Culture of Security: Create a work environment that encourages transparency, communication, and vigilance. Establish clear protocols for reporting suspicious activities and ensure that employees feel comfortable raising concerns without fear of retaliation.
  5. Exit Strategies: For departing employees, ensure proper offboarding procedures, such as deactivating accounts, reclaiming devices, and conducting exit interviews to assess any potential security risks.
  6. Insider Threat Programs: Implementing a formal insider threat program can help centralize detection efforts, improve monitoring, and respond effectively when threats arise.
  7. Regular Audits: Conduct routine audits of system access, permissions, and activity logs to ensure compliance with security policies and detect any unauthorized actions.

By combining technological solutions with robust policies and employee involvement, companies can effectively minimize the risk of insider threats.

Insider Threat Management Compliance and Privacy Considerations

Privacy laws make detecting insider threats more complex. Any insider threat program must have strong legal and HR collaboration to ensure proper governance within the confines of employee and contractor privacy laws. Here are a few ways you can minimize the legal and reputational risks by ensuring a highly compliant insider threat program: 

  • Leverage data masking to anonymize personnel while developing your defendable case of evidence 
  • Establish strict role-based access controls and data handling procedures
  • Obtain legal advice on relevant local laws affecting insider threat programs
  • Implement privacy-by-design principles in program development
  • Conduct privacy impact assessments
  • Provide clear notice to employees about monitoring practices
  • Use the least invasive methods necessary to detect threats
  • Regularly review and update policies to ensure ongoing compliance
  • Don’t blur the lines between insider threat management and employee productivity monitoring 

Case Study: How Gurucul Protects Against Insider Threats

Gurucul’s platform goes beyond traditional detection tools by analyzing user and entity behavior in real-time and contextualizing the behavior with all relevant data to seek out true  insider threat indicators. For instance, if a user who typically accesses a document once a day suddenly begins visiting SharePoint 200-300 times in a short period, this unusual activity could indicate a potential insider threat. By comparing this behavior to established baselines, Gurucul’s insider threat solution can quickly identify and respond to threats.

Gurucul played a pivotal role in helping a leading international pharmaceutical company protect against insider threats by replacing their ineffective Exabeam system with Gurucul’s advanced User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) platform. The company, based in Dublin, Ireland, needed a solution that could detect anomalies in real-time to prevent data exfiltration and account compromise through insider threat behavioral indicators. Gurucul’s AI and machine learning-driven (ML) platform delivered immediate results by identifying unknown threats during the proof of concept (POC) that had gone undetected by Exabeam. With seamless integration to their existing tools, such as Splunk, the company achieved full visibility into both on-premises and cloud environments. The migration was completed within six weeks, staying on budget while reducing false positives and enhancing analyst productivity. This not only improved their security posture but also reduced operational costs, making Gurucul an efficient and highly effective insider threat solution for mitigating insider threats.

Get Radical Clarity Into Insider Risk with the Gurucul Platform

Our unified Insider Threat Management Platform puts behavior into context so you can predict the unpredictable. Here is why many Fortune 100 companies trust Gurucul to support their insider threat program: 

  1. Prioritize Real Insider Threats: Advanced behavioral-based machine learning models analyze all relevant telemetry.  
  2. Create Accurate Cases for Meaningful Investigations: All detections are fully contextualized with all related data reducing significant burden from analysts during triage and investigations.   
  3. Customize to Your Unique Cross-Functional Requirements: The platform is open and flexible allowing you to customize detection models, risk scoring, response playbooks and more.  
  4. Reduce Technology Complexity: We’ll replace standalone UEBA and DLP solutions while integrating seamlessly existing solution stack and delivering automation throughout the entire insider threat lifecycle.

Watch a Demo of the Gurucul Insider Threat Solution

 

About The Author

Craig CooperCraig Cooper, Chief Operating Officer, Gurucul

Craig Cooper has served in several information security and risk management roles including CISO for a Fortune 500 Financial Services organization. While in this role, Craig defined and implemented an ISO standards-based Information Security program. Craig has led, developed, and delivered multiple Identity and Access Management Strategies and Roadmaps for several organizations. Craig has written for several trade magazines and has been a speaker with Burton Catalyst, Gartner, and ISSA.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between an insider threat and insider risk?

An insider threat refers to a specific individual within an organization who poses a potential security risk, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Insider risk, on the other hand, is a broader concept that encompasses all factors and conditions that could lead to an insider threat materializing, including weak security policies, insufficient access controls, or poor employee training.

Why are insider attacks on the rise?

Insider attacks are increasing due to several factors: the expanding digital landscape that creates more opportunities for breaches, the shift to remote work that blurs traditional security perimeters, and economic pressures that may motivate individuals to misuse data. Additionally, the growing sophistication of attack methods and the proliferation of sensitive data make insider threats more prevalent and challenging to detect.

Who is responsible for insider threat programs?

Insider threat programs typically involve a cross-functional team led by the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). This team often includes representatives from Human Resources, Legal, IT, and department managers, with support from executive leadership. Each plays a crucial role in developing, implementing, and maintaining a comprehensive insider threat strategy.

What can I do to help prevent insider threats?

To mitigate insider threats, implement a multi-faceted approach: develop clear security policies, enforce least privilege access controls, conduct regular security awareness training, and deploy advanced analytics to monitor user activity. Additionally, establish an incident response plan, perform regular risk assessments, and foster a security-conscious culture where employees are encouraged to report suspicious activities.