Information security presents an ongoing challenge for every organization in every industry. Meeting that challenge requires sound strategies and processes to help navigate the sprawling landscape of threats that put data, systems, and people at risk.

As you might expect, most security efforts primarily focus on external threats — those that come from outside the organization. Here are just a few examples:

• Social Engineers: scammers who use psychological manipulation to mislead people
• Phishing Attacks: emails that contain malicious links or attachments
• Smishing Attacks: text messages that urge the recipient to click on a link
• Distributed Denial-of-Service: cyberattacks that can knock services and websites offline
• Advanced Persistent Threats: highly coordinated groups of cybercriminals who infiltrate networks and can go undetected for months or even years

Unfortunately, an organization’s concerns aren’t limited to external threats. There’s also the insider threat — anyone who knowingly or unknowingly exposes sensitive data, or otherwise undermines security and privacy efforts. Insiders can include employees, contractors, business associates, third-party vendors, and others. You might be an insider if you:

• Have been given a badge or key to access secured areas
• Use work-issued devices and accounts
• Develop and manage products or services
• Have inside information about your organization’s core strategies
• Have been granted access to confidential data

There’s a good chance that you, like most members of an organization, fit these criteria. As such, it’s vital to understand a fundamental concept of security: Mitigating threats goes well beyond avoiding common attacks like phishing. It also involves every member of an organization treating the access they’re granted with the utmost respect.

Whether it be highly confidential information, work related online accounts, or physical clearance to secured areas, the very nature of having access makes someone a threat to it. That’s the reality of the modern threat landscape.

Article retrieved from Understanding the Insider Threat by The Security Awareness Company – KnowBe4, Inc. (2023)