Latest coverage for Insider Threat

Insider threat is the risk that someone with authorized access—such as an employee, contractor, partner, or former staff member—misuses that access, deliberately or accidentally. It can involve stealing sensitive data, abusing privileges, sabotaging systems, exposing information through mishandling, or enabling an attacker after an account is compromised. The defining issue is that activity may resemble legitimate work.

Security teams reduce this risk with least-privilege access, separation of sensitive duties, strong offboarding, and timely removal of unused accounts and credentials. Audit logs and access monitoring can help identify unusual downloads, privilege changes, or access outside a person’s role, while data-loss controls limit unauthorized movement of sensitive files. Monitoring should respect privacy and applicable employment or data-protection requirements. When suspicious activity is identified, response may include preserving logs, containing the account, reviewing accessed data, and coordinating security, legal, and human-resources processes.