A Cybersecurity Insider Threat occurs when someone with access chooses to or gets tricked into using that access to harm your company.

Insider Threats in cybersecurity can be employees, contractors, vendors, or visitors, and their intent can be either intentional or accidental.

An example scenario where this might happen is in the healthcare industry. Medical providers often need to move information about patients across poorly integrated systems. Wanting to get their job done, the provider might decide to circumvent technology tools and plug in a USB drive to help speed things up. This USB drive might then extract sensitive information and provide it to others who do not need it.

Another example of USB risks is when a vendor or service provider needs to perform maintenance on specialized medical equipment. They use a USB to transfer essential configuration files, which leads to sharing malware acquired from previous clients. Triggers that may warrant additional focus include employment actions, including resignation, termination, job transfer, or the individual becoming disgruntled or unhappy with their working conditions.

Resources you can use to learn more about Cybersecurity Insider Threats:

So now that you know about Cybersecurity Insider Threats, how can you treat this ever-present risk?

You must plan for this risk in advance to reduce the likelihood of Cybersecurity Insider Threats in your company.

Specific steps include:

• Look external to your company and review recent breaches, such as the Equifax Report from the US House of Representatives or the annual Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report.
• Look internally at your company and review the last two years of your Incident Response reports.
• As you review each, try to identify any similar patterns or recurring themes in your company that need your attention.
• Without having to look at detailed technical information, there are signs that, when not missed, indicate something has changed. Often at very little to no cost.
• While not intended to replace the value of an auditor, this approach can generate incremental value from the overall compliance process.

Considering and ultimately taking action on Cybersecurity Insider Threats will enable you to Get Wisdom as Cheaply as You Can.

And it applies whether you are a seasoned cyber professional, you are new to your cyber professional role, or you are wondering what rattles around in the mind of a cybersecurity professional.