According to the Insider Threat Report 2024 by Cybersecurity Insiders, almost 83% of organizations have reported at least one insider attack. At the same time, 48% of organizations said that insider attacks have become more common, increasing 5 times from 2023, with organizations experiencing 11 to 20 insider attacks. So, what are insider threats?
In simple terms, it refers to cybersecurity risks that originate from within your organization. It generally occurs when a company’s current or former employee, contractor, partner, or vendor with legitimate user credentials misuses their access to breach the organization’s network, systems, and data. Though it could be intentional or unintentional, it often results in compromised integrity and confidentiality of an organization’s data.
This blog highlights the different types of insider threats, their risks, and ways to prevent them.
Behavior Patterns & Technical Indicators of Insider Threats
Here are some signs of insider threats:
- Unusual data movement
- Use of unauthorized software or hardware
- Access to information that’s not related to their job function
- Increased requests for permissions to access sensitive information
- Abnormal access times outside regular business hours
- Unknown locations accessing resources
- Suspicious credential usage patterns, including frequently changing passwords
- Frequent violation of data protection and compliance laws of an organization
Types of Insider Threats
Insider threats are often the primary cause of most data breaches. It’s because traditional cybersecurity measures and strategies primarily focus on external threats, which leaves your organization vulnerable to insider attacks. It also becomes difficult for security professionals to distinguish regular activity from harmful activity when the insider has valid authorization access systems and data.
Insider threats can be malicious, accidental, opportunistic, or negligent.
Malicious Insiders
These are carried out intentionally to harm the organization. They may have financial motives, personal grievances, or malicious intent. They can be collaborators or lone wolves who steal data, sabotage, or espionage.
For example, an employee may sell confidential data to a disgruntled former employee or a competitor, who then introduces malware onto the organization’s network.
Careless or Negligent Insiders
A careless insider refers to an employee who unintentionally exposes sensitive information or compromises security systems due to a lack of awareness, poor practices, or not following established protocols. Essentially, someone who accidentally creates a security risk through careless actions like leaving devices unattended, clicking phishing links, or mishandling sensitive data.
According to the 2022 Ponemon Cost of Insider Threats Global Report, companies surveyed revealed that almost 56% of insider threats resulted from carelessness or negligence.
Compromised Insiders
A compromised insider is a legitimate user within an organization—an employee, contractor, or vendor whose credentials or system access have been stolen or compromised by an external threat actor. This allows them to access sensitive information or systems without authorization, acting as a conduit for malicious activity within the organization.
Why Insider Threats Pose a Greater Risk in 2025
Insider threats can pose a variety of risks to an organization, including:
- Data Breaches: Internal actors with access to sensitive data pose a risk of theft. This leads to data corruption, customer information exposure, and intellectual property theft.
- Financial Fraud: Insiders can embezzle funds, manipulate financial records, or make unauthorized transactions.
- Sabotage: Disgruntled employees or malicious insiders can disrupt business processes, damage infrastructure, and reduce productivity.
- Reputational Damage: The loss of critical data can cause reputational damage, which can result in business loss and legal action.
- Compliance Violations: Insider threats can lead to compliance violations and regulatory fines.
- Loss of Competitive Advantage: Intellectual property theft can lead to loss of competitive advantage, reduced revenue, and stunted innovation.
How to Detect & Prevent Insider Threats
Though businesses across all industries can be impacted by data security threats, financial services, healthcare, government, telecommunication, and technical services are at the highest risk.
Here are some practical ways to detect insider threats:
- User Behavior Analytics (UBA): Tools that analyze employee activity on systems to identify unusual patterns, such as accessing sensitive data outside regular job duties, excessive data downloads, or unusual login times.
- Data Loss Prevention (DLP): Monitor data transfers and access to sensitive information to detect potential exfiltration attempts.
- Access Control Measures: Utilize the principle of least privilege, granting users only the minimum access needed for their job function.
- Account Monitoring: Check user accounts frequently for questionable activity, such as unsuccessful login attempts or access from odd locations.
- Sentiment Analysis: Monitor employee communications and sentiment to identify potential signs of discontent or malicious intent.
- Regular Audits and Reviews: Conduct periodic security policies and procedures assessments to identify vulnerabilities.
Let’s explore some preventive measures against insider threats.
- Employee Security Awareness Training: Educate employees about insider threat risks, proper data handling practices, and reporting suspicious activity.
- Thorough background checks: Conduct comprehensive background checks during the hiring process to identify potential risks.
- Strong Password Policies: Enforce substantial password requirements and multi-factor authentication.
- Exit Procedures: Implement strict procedures for terminating employee access when someone leaves the company.
- Incident Response Plan: Develop a well-defined process for investigating and responding to suspected insider threats.
- Third-party Access Management: Carefully monitor and control access granted to external vendors and contractors.
Additional Considerations
- Privacy Balance: Monitor employee activity without infringing on privacy laws.
- Proactive Investigations: Always gather adequate evidence before taking disciplinary action.
- Continuous Improvement: Update security policies to address evolving threats.
Protect Your Business Against Insider Threats with Imagine IT
Your business faces significant risks from insider threats, intentional or unintentional. However, consulting a cybersecurity solution provider protects your organization against these insiders with legitimate access from exploiting your sensitive data.
Imagine IT is a reliable managed service provider in Zeeland, Minnesota, Wichita, Sterling, and Garden City. We offer tailored solutions for cybersecurity in 2025 for both small businesses and large enterprises. Our ‘Security Shield’ is a signature enterprise-level insider threat management feature. It can help your business anticipate potential threats and safeguard your operations from vulnerabilities.
Contact us today to effectively address the complexities of insider risks.
