What is the Goal of an Insider Threat Program? Explained

Insider threats continue to become more dangerous in our hyper-connected digital environment. Whether it’s an employee leaking information or an unwitting user who fell victim to a phishing scam, internal risks bypass traditional cybersecurity protections, allowing insiders to cause considerable damage.

This is the reason behind the necessity of an insider threat program. In this blog, we will cover what is the goal of an insider threat program, how it works, and discuss common questions like “What is the goal of threat modeling?” and “What are the three top purposes for insider threats?” 

What is the Insider Threat Program Definition?

An insider threat program is a systematized strategy that organizations establish to identify, deter and mitigate threats to security from individuals who have authorization on their systems. These individuals may include current and former employees, contractors, third parties and partners.

Insider threats are different from external attacks, which are perpetrated by hackers outside the company. Insider threats come from inside the organization and usually involve people who have or had legitimate access to sensitive data or systems.

It involves a combination of policies, tools, training and monitoring that are designed to:

• Identify unusual or risky behavior
• Protect sensitive information
• Respond quickly to suspicious activity

What is the Purpose of an Insider Threat Program?

The most important aspect of this program is to proactively identify, prevent and mitigate internal security risks before an internal security incident that results in data loss and compromise to the system or reputation. It is beneficial to understand employee, contractor or business partners’ potential security risks resulting from their having access to your systems. 

Avoid Unauthorized Access or the Misuse of Sensitive Data

One of the objectives is to protect sensitive information, including customer data, intellectual property and financial records, from being accessed or shared in an unauthorized manner. This applies equally to malicious insiders, as well as compliant employees who made mistakes. Organizations do this through least privilege access, role-based access controls and using audits to validate who can access what.

Identify Behavioral Anomalies in User Activity

A successful program uses monitoring tools and analytics to identify abnormal user behavior (e.g., accessing systems after hours or downloading too much data). User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) give you the ability to identify the red flags early enough to allow security teams to intervene before real harm occurs.

Create a Security-Savvy Culture

Only technology can’t tackle insider threats; employee awareness is necessary. A large component of any threat program is to establish a security-minded culture in which employees understand the risks they pose and take responsibility.

Maintain Compliance with Cybersecurity Standards

Insider threat programs are also a means to support regulatory compliance, as the program will maintain the controls and accountability required by standards, such as:

• ISO 27001
• NIST CSF
• HIPAA
• GDPR

Compliance is good for the bottom line – it keeps fines and penalties out of the picture and can inspire greater confidence in employees and customers. Compliance mandates ongoing training and awareness programs, which TSAT contains through training modules and measurable outcomes of learning.

What Makes Insider Threats So Detrimental to Our Organization?

Insider threats present problems in the first place because insiders have access to classified systems and data that allow them to operate without being detected by threats.

Here is why insider threats have extra risk:

Malicious insiders can use their access with the intent to damage the organization. For example, they may try to steal key sensitive information or disrupt the ability to accomplish business objectives by disabling a critical system.

Negligent insiders cause harm accidentally by carelessness. The negative use of negligence by insiders could be clicking on phishing emails or misplacing sensitive information while working in their normal job functions. 

A compromised insider refers to an insider due to lost credentials.

Training of educational employees is essential due to the fact that negligence is normally the leading contributor to insider threats. Continuous training helps employees know what risky behavior might look like, how to avoid typical security missteps, and how to respond to suspected threats.

What is the Goal of Threat Modeling in Insider Threat Programs?

Threat modeling is a proactive strategy where organizations assess their threat from insiders before those insiders have a chance to breach security and cause harm. Threat modeling is most useful for security teams in answering four questions:

Identify What is Most Important

Security teams first identify what the organization considers its most valuable assets. This could be client data, financial records, intellectual property, or trade secrets. These are the key assets to guard against insider action or inaction.

Understand Who Has Access

This step outlines which users, employees, contractors, or third parties actually have access to that valuable data. You will want to consider some of the following information: how much access do they have, do they need that access, and when does that access begin and end? 

Predict How It Might Be Compromised

Teams need to consider the various ways insiders can misuse information intentionally or unintentionally. For example, an insider exfiltrating data using USB drives or cloud applications, or an employee forgetting to log out and accidentally clicking on a phishing link, leading them to lose their own credentials. 

Build Controls to Prevent or Detect Abuse

Once risks are identified, organizations will begin to set up controls based on risk tolerances. Examples of controls can include user activity monitoring, limiting access to data, or limiting the capabilities of tools with insider threat detection. Cybersecurity awareness training will also be an important control to help users understand threats and adopt safer behaviors.

Core Components of an Effective Program

Behavioral Monitoring

Monitor unusual activities by a user, such as accessing data at unusual times, downloading large amounts of data or bypassing processes established to protect the information. Any of these types of behaviours could quickly escalate into an insider threat. Continual monitoring for any early warning signs will allow the organization to identify issues before they become damaging.

Access Control Policies

If your employees only have access to the data and systems for their job according to the principle of least privilege, they can cause less damage, especially if they are simply careless or even malicious.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

A good program will bring together HR, IT, legal and security teams to collaborate. A collaborative approach helps the organization see behavioural red flags, policy violations or patterns of disciplinary behaviour that may have gone unnoticed. 

Data Loss Prevention (DLP)

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) software or tools are useful for monitoring, detecting & blocking attempts to transmit personal or sensitive information out of the organization. This could be done through email, USB, Cloud Storage or other unauthorized apps or methods.

Security Awareness Training

People can be the most vulnerable element of an organization’s security, but they can also be the strongest line of defense. It is critical to conduct regular security awareness training and education. Real-life phishing simulations and interactive education modules provide employees the ability to recognize and take appropriate actions, reducing human error.

Incident Response Playbooks

Establish procedures before you need to help ensure all parts of the organization can react quickly if an insider threat is suspected. The playbooks include step-by-step procedures to minimize any damage and accelerate recovery, including roles and responsibilities.

Key Outcomes You Should Expect from Your Program

Less Incidents

By enabling your team to recognize high-risk behaviors and employing access controls, you will significantly clear the field of insider-related security breaches, regardless of whether they are accidental or intentional.

Early Detection

With the right monitoring and threat modeling in place, suspicious activity can be detected early. This enables the security team to act before something escalates into damage, thus reducing impact.

Better Compliance 

A structured program helps achieve compliance with industry regulations and cybersecurity standards (for example, ISO 27001, NIST, or HIPAA) by documenting controls, training efforts, and the incident response process. 

Increased Internal Trust and Accountability

When employees are aware that there are established security policies and everyone is being trained and monitored in the same manner, that’s reinforced by our culture, people tend to be more responsible and trustworthy. They are far more likely to properly mode best practices and report suspicious activity.

Conclusion

Insider threats often go overlooked but can be incredibly damaging, whether through human error, credential theft, or malicious intent. Due to the inherent access insiders have to sensitive systems, counteracting insider threats involves more than having a few policies in place.

Organizations can stay one step ahead of insider threats through a combination of threat modeling, behavioral monitoring, role-based access controls, and continual employee training.

With tools such as Threatcop Security Awareness Training (TSAT), employees learn to quickly identify and respond to insider threats. This not only lessens risk but also helps build a more robust and secure organizational culture.

Frequently Asked Questions