Insider threats come in many forms. Some are unintentional, while others are malicious. They can have differing goals, and the possible risks they pose are too many to count. Typically, these threats come from people who have access to sensitive information in some way—disgruntled employees, negligent contractors, and simply people who don’t know better. Whatever the motive behind these risks, it’s important to establish an effective insider threat program to protect your business.
Data breaches are on the rise. Between 2023 and 2024 alone, there was an increase of 28% in data exposure driven by insider threats. Here’s how to ensure insider threat detection and avoid becoming a victim.
Assess Your Organization’s Risk
The first step to combating insider threats is knowing the risk your business currently faces. A thorough pulse-check includes:
- Identifying the data, systems, and intellectual properties that are most valuable.
- Analyzing the access your personnel hold. Who has access to sensitive information? Are these privileges too broad or out of date?
- Pinpointing vulnerabilities such as gaps in your current technology and security strategies.
- Considering requirements for compliance. Healthcare, finance, and government sectors have strict regulations about protecting data, so it’s important to ensure you aren’t violating any of them.
Establish Clear Policies and Procedures
What is an insider threat program? There are many facets to it, but it begins with policies and procedures that are carefully laid out. These policies include:
- Acceptable Use Guidelines: Clearly outline what is and isn’t permitted when personnel are using company equipment and data.
- Employee Responsibilities: Make sure everyone has a clear understanding of their individual role in keeping company assets secure.
- Consequences for Violations: Let personnel know the potential consequences should they commit a violation.
- Legal Compliance: Have your policies reviewed by legal experts to ensure they adhere to the law.
Create a Cross-Functional Insider Threat Team
If you want your insider threat program to be effective, you need everyone onboard—not just the people at the top. A coordinated effort from human resources, IT, security, and legal is required for a solid course of action. Be sure to assign specific roles that cover multiple aspects of the process—threat detection, investigation, and response. Regular collaboration between all parties in the insider threat response team is a must if you want to achieve swift and unified action in the event of an incident.
Implement Monitoring Tools and User-Behavior Analytics
As most insider threats these days are centered around tech in some way, that same tech plays a big role in identifying these threats before it’s too late. The following tools can make or break your preparedness and response:
- User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA): These detect outstanding deviations from someone’s normal behavior.
- Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Software: This kind of software keeps tabs on—and restricts—the movement/transfer of sensitive data.
- Access Monitoring Systems: These systems track login attempts as well as escalation of privileges.
It’s important to ensure that the tools you use integrate well with your business’s existing infrastructure. If not, we can always help you achieve compatibility with custom solutions.
Equally important is striking a balance between impactful security measures and the privacy of your employees. A rock-solid surveillance system may be just that, but too many intrusive measures could erode trust between you and your employees.
Train Employees and Promote Security Awareness
Impressive tech will always be a vital component of a great insider threat program, but the human element will always have a vital role to play. Your people are your first line of defense, after all. Foster their effectiveness by teaching them vigilance and responsibility. Regular team training sessions are a great way to keep these measures top of mind, and emphasizing the shared responsibility of protecting the organization can go a long way.
Of course, humans are also the source of insider threats. As such, it’s important to ensure discretion when it comes to reporting suspicious behavior. Establishing anonymous reporting channels will give your team the confidence they need to report anything unusual without fear of retaliation.
Develop a Response and Investigation Plan
Even if you have made your best possible effort to prevent insider threats, they are always a possibility. Because of this, it’s important to be prepared for such an incident. Have clear steps in place to respond to a live threat.
- Define Your Investigation Protocols: Establish procedures for gathering and organizing evidence against an identified threat.
- Involve Legal Early On: Legal should be involved in every step in this process, due to its sensitive nature. This will help you protect both yourself and your employees.
- Contain and Remediate: Devise a clear-cut plan to contain the threat, recover as much data as possible, and fix whatever vulnerabilities were exploited.
Continuously Improve the Program
After you’ve established a clear course of action for mitigating, identifying, and responding to insider threats, the work isn’t finished. Technology and business are always evolving, and every human is unique and flawed; insider threats will always be a possibility, and they’ll continue to take new forms. Thus, you always need to be vigilant and able to adapt.
We recommend keeping your insider threat program up-to-date by reviewing past incidents, conducting policy and software audits, and running simulations to determine your program’s effectiveness before an incident occurs. This continued refinement will help you stay ahead of possible threats.
Insider Threat Detection is Vital to Your Business
Developing an insider threat program is no small task, but doing so could be your business’s saving grace. Without one, a single insider threat has the potential to cause a great deal of damage. By following the steps we’ve outlined above, you can mitigate these risks and focus on your business endeavors.
At GEM Technology, we’re committed to providing you with custom security solutions, including insider threat systems. Get in touch to keep your business safe.