What is the insider threat?
The insider threat is that posed by employees, contractors, and visitors that are granted too much trust. In some cases that trust is almost naively granted. Anyone within an organization could have the motivation, access to resources, and the tools to steal information, or even destroy critical resources. While often overlooked, the insider threat actually outweighs the threats from cyber criminals, hackers and the random malware that most organizations concentrate on. It is the insider that understands where the keys to the kingdom are hidden. When I was engaged in white-hat hacking for one of the Big Four audit firms it would take me about two days within a bank, railroad, or utility to figure out how I could steal from them or their customers. And, that was with information I gleaned from inside staff. We assume that the employer – employee contract is enough to curtail bad behavior. But, ask anyone who manages staff involved in handling cash and you will understand the threat pose
