Insider Threats

What it is: A significant cybersecurity risk originating from individuals within an organization, such as current or former employees, contractors, or business associates, who have authorized access to the organization’s systems, data, or physical premises. These threats can be malicious, negligent, or unintentional, but all have the potential to compromise the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of critical assets.

How it works: Malicious insiders may be motivated by financial gain, revenge, espionage, or ideological reasons. They can leverage their legitimate access to exfiltrate sensitive data, sabotage systems, introduce malware, or bypass security controls. Methods can range from simply copying files to external drives or cloud storage to more sophisticated techniques like exploiting backdoors, manipulating system configurations, or colluding with external threat actors. Negligent insiders may unintentionally expose sensitive data through poor security practices, while unintentional threats can occur due to errors or lack of awareness.

Example with key data: The 2013 case of Edward Snowden, a former contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA), exemplifies a significant insider threat. Snowden leveraged his authorized access to classified information to copy and leak a vast amount of highly sensitive documents detailing global surveillance programs. His actions resulted in a massive breach of confidentiality and had significant geopolitical repercussions. Key data points include the sheer volume of classified documents exfiltrated (estimated in the tens of thousands) and the method used, which involved exploiting his legitimate system access and bypassing existing data loss prevention (DLP) controls. This case highlighted the potential for individuals with privileged access to cause substantial damage, even without sophisticated technical skills.