Insider attacks are those cybersecurity attacks which arise from within the targeted organization. These are perpetrated by authorized users, like employees, contractors, and business partners, who misuse their legitimate access to systems and data, either maliciously or through negligence. It may also happen that the accounts of authorized users are hijacked by cybercriminals to carry out nefarious activities.
An insider that perpetrates cybersecurity attacks can be one of three types. A Malicious Insider is one who maliciously and intentionally abuses legitimate credentials to steal sensitive information for personal gain, or cause damage to the organization. Such an insider is usually a disgruntled current employee, or disgruntled former employee whose access credentials have not yet been revoked. A malicious insider may also “work” for a malicious outsider (hacker, business rival etc.) to cause damage or disruptions to the targeted organization. A Careless / Negligent Insider is one who unknowingly exposes the system to outside threats. This usually results from mistakes, such as leaving a device exposed or falling victim to a scam. A Mole is an imposter who is technically an outsider but has managed to gain insider access to a privileged network. This is essentially an outsider who hides as an employee or business associate.
Recent statistics suggest that insider attacks are on the rise, with finance and healthcare among the most affected sectors. About 76% of organizations have detected increased insider threat activity over the past five years. Between 2023 and 2024, there was a 28% increase in insider attacks across industries.
Impact
Organizations may suffer from downtime and loss of productivity.
Insider attacks can cause data breaches, theft of intellectual property, and sabotage. These can result in significant financial losses for the affected organization.
Insider attacks may damage an organization’s brand image, leading to loss of customer base.
Breach of sensitive data may cause organizations to face litigations.
Insider attacks faced by critical sector organizations (defence, power, telecom etc.) can have severe implications for national security.
Controls
Organizations should implement a comprehensive security policy.
Proper identity and access management must be implemented for critical devices and services. Access should only be granted on a need-to-know and need-to-use basis.
User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) should be employed to detect anomalous behavior patterns that may indicate malicious activity, or policy violations.
Robust Data Loss Prevention (DLP) technologies should be implemented.
Organizations should implement incident response and recovery plans that include provisions for insider incidents.
Periodic security assessments and audits should be conducted to detect and remove vulnerabilities in systems.
Users should be provided with continuous training on the organization’s security policies and procedures.
How Sujosu Can Help
Sujosu Technology can help you identify areas of concern and assess your application and infrastructure security risk. Our consultants can suggest appropriate countermeasures and provide awareness / training to prevent, detect, identify, and recover from security attacks. Engage with us and remain cyber-secure.
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