What is an Insider Threat?
An insider threat refers to the potential for harm to an organisation caused by a trusted insider, such as a current or former employee, contractor, vendor or business partner. This harm can be intentional or unintentional and can manifest in various ways, including:
- Data theft: Insiders may steal sensitive data, such as customer information, intellectual property or financial records, for personal gain or to sell to a competitor.
- Sabotage: Disgruntled or malicious insiders may intentionally damage or disrupt an organisation’s systems or infrastructure.
- Espionage: Insiders may be recruited by external actors to spy on an organisation and gather confidential information.
- Accidental data loss: Employees may unintentionally expose sensitive data through carelessness or lack of awareness about security protocols.
Types of insider threats
Insider threats can be categorized into two main types:
- Malicious insiders: These individuals intentionally misuse their authorised access to harm the organisation. This could be due to factors like revenge, financial gain or ideological motives.
- Careless insiders: These individuals lack malicious intent but cause harm through negligence or lack of awareness about security best practices. For instance, clicking on a phishing email or sharing sensitive information inadvertently.
Impact of Insider Threats
Insider threats can have a significant impact on organisations, leading to:
- Financial loss: Data breaches, system disruptions and intellectual property theft can result in substantial financial losses.
- Reputational damage: Security incidents involving insider threats can damage an organisation’s reputation and erode customer trust.
- Legal issues: Violations of data privacy regulations due to insider activity can lead to legal repercussions and fines.
- Operational disruption: Insider attacks can disrupt normal business operations and cause productivity loss.
Microsoft Security Solutions
Microsoft offers various security solutions that can help mitigate insider threats:
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE): This endpoint security platform provides advanced threat detection and monitoring capabilities, helping identify suspicious insider activity like unauthorised data access attempts.
- Data Loss Prevention (DLP): DLP solutions can help control and restrict data movement within the organisation, minimising the risk of insider data exfiltration.
- Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD): This identity and access management solution allows for granular control over user access permissions, minimising the risk of privilege misuse by insiders.
