The Reveal Platform
Dr. Chase Cunningham guest authored this whitepaper, focused on helping insider threat teams understand the value of advanced security analytics and the ability to draw insights from all relevant user, identity, security, HR, legal and physical access telemetry.
In the modern enterprise, the most significant threats are not always external hackers breaching firewalls but insiders with authorized access—employees, contractors, or third-party partners—who intentionally or accidentally cause harm. These insider threats are more challenging to detect because the users involved often appear legitimate. To confront this challenge, forward-thinking organizations increasingly use analytics and telemetry to build comprehensive insider threat programs.
With well-structured data and telemetry from applications, devices, and users, companies can gain deep insights into behavior patterns and risks. When done right, this data enables a complete contextual picture of user activity, helping departments like HR, security, and legal collaborate to address potential risks before they materialize into serious incidents.
In this article I’ll explore how analytics and telemetry can drive insider threat programs, the benefits of building a complete contextual view, and how collaboration between departments strengthens these efforts.
Why Data is Critical Insider threats have become a significant concern for enterprises of all sizes. According to recent studies, insider-related incidents account for over 30% of cybersecurity breaches, with financial losses running into millions. These incidents range from well-meaning employees who mishandle sensitive data to malicious insiders deliberately stealing intellectual property, customer data, or financial information.
Spotting these threats is akin to finding a needle in a haystack. Insiders operate within trusted systems, using valid credentials, and often, their behavior blends into routine operations—making it hard for them to identify with traditional cybersecurity tools alone. This is where the crucial role of security analytics and telemetry comes into play.
Siloed security tools present a significant challenge to Insider Threat programs, creating fragmented visibility and slowing response times. These disjointed systems limit cross-functional collaboration, forcing teams to rely on manual processes that introduce both delays and blind spots. In an era where threats are increasingly sophisticated and originate internally, the need for unified insights is critical to maintaining robust security and avoiding:
Telemetry automatically collects data from various sources, such as applications, endpoints, networks, and cloud environments. It captures a range of metrics, including user activity, file access logs, keystrokes, web traffic, login times, system alerts, and device behavior. When combined with advanced analytics, telemetry data is transformed into actionable insights, highlighting patterns and anomalies that could indicate potential insider threats.
For example, telemetry might show that an employee who usually works 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. has started accessing sensitive files late at night or transferring vast amounts of data offsite. Security teams can detect early signs of malicious intent or accidental risks by correlating these actions with other information—such as changes in the employee’s performance review or upcoming termination.
One of the most significant advantages of telemetry and analytics is the ability to connect the dots across multiple systems and departments to create a complete contextual picture of user activity. Context is everything when evaluating whether a behavior is a legitimate part of someone’s role or a red flag for insider threat activity.
Here’s how telemetry and analytics can build this picture:
Modern employees use many systems: email, cloud storage, HR portals, collaboration tools, and customer databases. Telemetry captures actions across all these platforms, allowing the organization to see where users have logged in, what files they accessed, or whether they downloaded data.
Analytics platforms use machine learning algorithms to detect behavioral patterns and highlight unusual deviations. For instance, an employee may typically access only five customer records daily, but over the past week, they accessed 500. When analyzed in context, this sudden change becomes a potential indicator of insider threat activity.
Telemetry integrated with HR data can provide additional insight. Employees experiencing performance issues, disputes with colleagues, or discussions about upcoming terminations may exhibit
behaviors that align with insider threats—like accessing files they shouldn’t or downloading confidential information as “insurance” before leaving. Analytics gives HR and security teams a clear picture of employee sentiment, creating an early warning system.
Combining telemetry from digital sources with physical access data (such as badge scans and building entry logs) completes the picture. If an employee with access to sensitive customer data begins visiting restricted areas after hours without a valid reason, the behavior may warrant further investigation.
The complete contextual picture makes it easier to determine whether unusual activity is accidental, benign, or potentially malicious—minimizing false positives while accurately identifying real threats.
Identity Analytics (IdA) is pivotal in equipping Insider Threat teams with the tools to identify, predict, and mitigate risks before they escalate into security incidents. With IdA, behavioral deviations aren’t viewed in isolation; instead, they are evaluated in the context of the user’s roles, privileges, and historical activity, allowing teams to distinguish between benign anomalies and genuine threats.
Identity Analytics is a powerful tool that empowers Insider Threat teams, giving them the confidence and control to identify, predict, and mitigate risks before they escalate into security incidents.
Identity Analytics stands out by delivering the crucial ‘who’ behind the behavior, providing Insider Threat teams with the comprehensive context needed to effectively predict and prevent insider incidents. This unique fusion of identity-driven insights and behavioral analytics enables a more adaptive, intelligent approach to insider risk management, significantly reducing the time to detect, respond, and contain potential threats. Time is of the essence when it comes to insider threats and a user’s identity is a key factor to determining the reality of the issues a security team faces when determining if a threat is truly malicious in nature, or simply an insider whoopsie.
A well-functioning insider threat program isn’t just the security team’s responsibility. HR, security, and legal departments must work together, leveraging insights from telemetry to build valid, evidence-backed cases when confronting a potential insider threat.
Security teams analyze telemetry and logs to identify unusual activities, such as unauthorized file transfers or login attempts from unknown devices. However, more than raw data is needed to take action. Security teams must collaborate with other departments to understand the full context behind these behaviors.
HR is vital in evaluating whether emotional or situational factors could drive employee behavior. If an employee facing termination begins accessing confidential data, it’s a sign that HR should work closely with security to prevent possible data theft. HR can also determine if personal stress or conflicts could explain the behavior—helping distinguish between malicious intent and innocent mistakes.
If a company needs to confront or terminate an employee for insider threat activities, legal teams ensure that actions are backed by valid evidence collected through proper channels. When analyzed and documented carefully, telemetry data can serve as solid proof of inappropriate behavior, reducing the risk of legal challenges if the employee is terminated or prosecuted.
This collaboration between departments ensures that insider threat programs remain fair, effective, and transparent. Employees are less likely to feel unfairly targeted, and organizations can confidently take action when necessary.
While telemetry and analytics offer potent tools for insider threat programs, organizations must implement them ethically and transparently to avoid alienating employees or violating privacy regulations.
Here are some best practices to consider:
In today’s fast-paced business environment, insider threats pose a growing risk to organizations, but behavioral analytics and telemetry offer a path forward. By collecting and analyzing data from multiple sources, companies can build a complete contextual picture of user behavior, enabling early detection of risks and timely intervention.
The key to success lies in collaboration between HR, security, and legal teams, ensuring that actions are backed by valid evidence and appropriate context. With the right tools and strategies in place, organizations can leverage telemetry to confront malicious insiders and identify accidental risks and support employees through challenging situations.
In the end, a well-designed insider threat program is not just about catching wrongdoers—it’s about fostering a secure, trustworthy environment where the company and its employees can thrive.
About the Author:
Dr. Chase Cunningham, Product Marketing Manager
Dr. Chase Cunningham is a leading cybersecurity expert and strategist, known for his work in advancing Zero Trust security frameworks and authoring several influential publications in the field. He has extensive experience in cyber defense, threat intelligence, and has served as a trusted advisor to both government and private sector organizations.
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