Dealing with Insider Threats

Every year several data leaks, identity thefts, and cyber attacks are reported in the IT industry and most often external hackers are considered responsible for these attacks. But, is it really so? Are external hackers alone responsible for the increasing cyber crime proportion? Well, statistics prove otherwise. As per the recent annual 2010 Cyber Security Watch Survey, insiders inflict the greatest amount of damage to any enterprise. This should serve as an eye-opener for all those organizations that consider external attacks as the biggest security threat.

Whether organizations may be willing to accept it or not, stealing of corporate data by employees is a well-known fact. However most of these data breach incidents go unnoticed since they are difficult to detect. And even if data breaches are detected, they are often not immediately reported by organizations.

The disturbing fact is that most organizations spend a fortune in deploying state-of-the-art technology to prevent outside attacks but fail to put in place effective mechanisms to prevent attacks by insiders. They often underrate the potential damage that can be caused by insiders, and consider them to be less perilous than outside attacks.

Organizations feel that the extent of damage that can be caused by external hackers is far more serious and critical than that caused by insiders. But by thinking so, organizations are closing their eyes to what can be the biggest security threat. While it is true that organizations need to be wary of external hackers, insider threats can be equally dangerous and can jeopardize the organization’s security and reputation.

Not all employees who steal confidential information have an intention to tarnish the image of their employers. They use it for petty personal gains. However, organizations need to be cautious of unfaithful and disgruntled employees. What makes them dangerous is the fact that they know what data and documents are valuable to their employer, where to find these sensitive documents, and how to evade security mechanisms put in place by the company. Since it is not possible for any organization to read the mind of every employee to identify who has the intention to steal sensitive data, the only logical way to curb unauthorized access and data leaks is by ensuring endpoint security. 

Today, enterprise network security is threatened not only by external hackers but also by insiders. In such a situation where insider attacks are on a rise, organizations need to gear themselves up to be defensive by putting in place effective threat management solutions. And they must deploy the most advanced intrusion prevention system that is now available, to prevent data leaks in all possible ways.