Insider Threat: Top Insider Threat Indicators and How to Detect Them

Insider threat is a malicious element operating secretly in an organization at a privileged level that poses potential risks to the internal systems, networks, management, structures, intellectual property and other critical areas in the organization. The malicious element has different forms such as an employee, business partner, third party or any other person directly or indirectly associated with the organization. These insider threats pose a wide range of security breaches, management disruption and information leakage risks. Due to their secret and undercover working methods, it is highly difficult to recognize and deal with insider threats. If you fail to identify these signs in time you will face severe consequences in security breaches and business damages. This blog offers you complete details about insider threat indicators and provides you with effective tips to detect and deal with them.

Insider Threat

What are the top Insider Threat Indicators?

Insider threat is widespread across all sizes of businesses and organizations because everyone is using interconnected digital networks and technologies to run work processes and operations. Malicious people working in-house utilize these channels to do damage to your business in different ways. Some of these threats are intentional and some come to occur due to human error. Human errors are forgivable but intentional actions must clamp down to prevent serious losses. Identifying them in time is highly necessary to ensure the security of business assets, protect business integrity and prevent serious damages. That`s why, here are some top insider threat indicators that help you recognize the hidden danger inside the house:

1. Digital and Network Indicators

a. Excessive Data Access

Downloading or copying large amounts of data and accessing critical files and systems are potential indicators of malicious activities that target sensitive data and important business information. Make sure to check their downloads and communications to find out the truth.

b. Use of Unauthorized Tools

If your employee is using unauthorized software, accessing company accounts on personal devices, or using encryption tools to hide their activities then he is involved in something hostile. You need to monitor such activities.

c. Unusual Data Transfers

Sending sensitive data to external and unauthorized accounts, and uploading business files and docs to personal devices and cloud storage are strong indicators of insider threats. When you notice such unusual data transfer activities never let it go unchecked.

d. Strange Network Activity

A mole inside the organization will always try to access restricted or sensitive network areas and try to disable or bypass security systems. You will get security notifications and emergency alerts when someone tries to interfere with critical systems. These are nothing but indicators resulting from malicious activities.

e. Personal Communication Channels

Malicious actors use personal devices and unmonitored channels to communicate and share work-related files and data. They avoid using official channels and devices for work-related discussions and communications.

2. Behavioral and Emotional Indicators

a. Declining Job Satisfaction

A bad actor will show signs of dissatisfaction with work, environment and tasks assigned to him. He will openly express his feelings for not being appreciated or undermined in front of other colleagues. He will show signs of frustration over workplace inequalities and job responsibilities. These feelings lead the employee to take harmful actions.

b. Discontent with Organizational Leadership

The potential bad actors frequently challenge the management decisions, work policies and doubt about companies vision and directions. They openly criticize their superiors and defy them for different reasons. Over time these complaints take the form of evil and the employee starts taking actions that damage the company’s reputation and work process. In the worst-case scenario, they steal sensitive information and give it to malicious actors.

c. Increased Conflict with Colleagues

Employees turned bad actors often show signs of disagreements and hostile confrontations with team members. Their hostile behaviour creates distrust and negativity in the workplace and impacts productivity in the workplace. Over time it leads to complete disruptions and disharmony inside the workplace.

d. Unexplained Behavioral Shifts

Suspicious actors often withdraw from social interactions, become recluse and avoid opening up about anything. They often take frequent unscheduled leaves and avoid important meetings without any strong reasons. When you see these signs in any of your employees you consider their case and avoid giving them access to critical sites.

3. Situational Indicators

a. Sudden Resignation

Insider threats often leave work or suddenly resign from their responsibilities when they have stolen crucial data or taken proprietary information. They want to leave the organization to avoid suspicions and legal charges.

b. Relationships with Competitors

People with malicious intentions create relationships with rivals in the industry and deliver them with the inside information and work processes. If you ever come across any such incident then take immediate action to preserve your precious business processes and assets.

c. Ignoring Warnings

Insider threat actors don`t care about the constant warnings from the company authorities. They override access controls without any reason. These frequent breaches end up dismantling the whole workplace system. So be careful when you see these signs in your colleagues.

d. Unusual Work Patterns

Employees involved in suspicious activities often work for long hours and access systems during odd times. They frequently log in to business accounts using home devices. These activities are strong signs of moles inside the house.

What are the Motives of Insider Threats?

Insider threats have different motives depending on different factors such as personal, professional, external and individual. They use their privileged access level inside an organization to do various types of malicious activities. Here are some common motives for insider threats and their evil actions:

Financial Gain

Bad actors working inside a company use their privileged access to steal business information, sensitive projects and work processes. They sell this proprietary information to the rivals, third parties and competitors. They gain financial benefits using this information, make unauthorized financial transactions, and accept payments from external entities in exchange for sensitive business information.

Personal Revenge

Some people are involved in unauthorized activities due to their job dissatisfaction, frustrations, unfair treatment and resentment coming from poor work reviews. If they feel undervalued and appreciated they take it personally. As a result of this, they become involved in disputes with their seniors and leadership. In the final stage, they seek revenge and try to harm the organization for the perceived wrongs.

Ideological Beliefs

If someone feels hurt due to specific political and religious beliefs of the organization and other people working inside the same place then they become hostile in such situations. Due to this, they support cause and movement that opposes the ideology of the organization and people running it. They can share sensitive information with external elements that align with the ideology of the insider threat.

External Coercion

Sometimes employees receive threats from external entities, people and criminal forces. It leads them to take wrong steps and provide critical information and privileged access to outsiders. They take these actions to protect their families and loved ones from malicious entities.

External Influences

Some people act as an insider threat due to external influences such as competitors and third parties. Competitors offer them lucrative job positions and placements in foreign countries and in exchange ask people to steal all the sensitive data from the company they are working in. Third-party platforms cooperate with in-house employees to expose sensitive business information to launch huge scams.

Personal Conditions

Some people act out of desperation due to financial difficulties. They want to uplift their conditions and pay off their debts which leads them to take illicit actions. Addiction and gambling are other causes that motivate employees to do unauthorized activities. Health issues and severe conditions requiring immediate financial support also motivate people working in an organization to take the wrong steps.

How to Protect Against Insider Threats?

Insider threats are more deadly and elusive in comparison to cyber threats coming from outside resources. They have special alertness and attention to recognize and deal with. To deal with these dangers one needs a comprehensive suite of security protocols and tools at different levels including infrastructure, network, work process and individual level. Every point must be secured tightly and there should be zero trust policy at every level. Every level must have its own authorizations and access controls to detect and prevent insider threats.
Here are some strong strategies that will help you deal with the hidden threats working in your organization:
Prevent Insider Threats

Strict Security Protocols

You must use strong security protocols to protect every endpoint inside the workplace. It includes password updates, data encryption and multi-factor authentication. Create a secure system of access control and authentication to monitor employee activities. Conduct a periodic review of access privileges and security policies.

Fostering Employee Loyalty

Don’t ignore workplace dissatisfaction and employee remarks. Maintain a positive work culture and provide equal growth opportunities to everyone working in your company. Recognize employee achievements and reward them with monthly bonuses and special titles to encourage them to do better in their work. Adopt a zero-tolerance policy for workplace harassment and bullies from seniors. Create an environment of harmony and mutual respect.

Use Threat Management Software

You must use insider threat management software to detect and mitigate potential risks and challenges. It will help you track employee activities and identify unusual patterns. Along with this it will also monitor and control user access to sensitive systems and data. If someone tries to access an account without authority in odd hours on unofficial devices it will generate security alerts to you.

Promote a Zero-Trust Architecture

Promote a zero-trust architecture inside the organization to minimize risks and prevent unauthorized access to privileged endpoints, networks and data centres. Do not provide full access and permissions to any user or device no matter what. Validate every interaction and employee authentication through a robust network security tool. It will create a detailed activity log to detect insider threat indicators.

Utilize UEBA Tools

UEBA tools (User and Entity Behavior Analytics) to analyze users and system behaviours inside the company premises. It can recognize the odd and unusual access patterns and misuse of login credentials. If there are any unusual data uploads or downloads it will flag them as deviations. It will generate a signal to identify insider threats and take timely action to prevent potential damage.

Use SOAR Tools

SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) tools enhance organizational security. It collects data from multiple sources and provides valuable insights to build security strategies to deal with covert moles. Most importantly, it automates security responses to detect suspicious files and take immediate actions to neutralize potential danger.

Implement Data Loss Prevention (DLP)

Implement DLP solutions to prevent unauthorized transfer or exposure of sensitive data to monitor data at every stage whether in the database, current process or at the time of generation. It can integrate with other tools like SIEM and UEBA for complete protection and restrict and block unusual activities using predefined policies.

Use SIEM Tools

For proactive security and real-time visibility, you can also go for Security Information and Event Management tools. It aggregates data from different sources such as network devices, endpoints, servers etc. and correlates this data to identify hidden patterns and anomalies to catch insider threats.

Enforce Privileged Access Management

Implement privilege access control management services to monitor, record and automate alerts for illegitimate login activities inside the company network. Create time-bound access to sensitive operations or additional authentication to prevent malicious activities on your device. It will help you prevent unauthorized access to sensitive systems and databases inside your organization. Insider threats won’t be able to access critical company systems and carry out any malicious activities.